Breast Augmentation in Turkey

The operation takes one to two hours under general anaesthetic. Your surgeon makes a short incision — most often in the fold underneath the breast — creates a pocket either behind the breast tissue or partly behind the chest muscle, and places the implant. The incision is closed in layers, and most patients stay one night in hospital.

Augmentation adds volume. It does not lift breasts that have dropped significantly: if your nipple sits at or below the breast fold, your surgeon may recommend combining the implant with a breast lift, which lifts and reshapes the breast at the same time.

Implants or fat transfer?

• Silicone implants: the most common choice. They give a predictable, repeatable increase of one to three cup sizes and hold their shape over time. Modern cohesive gel implants hold together even if the shell is damaged.
• Fat transfer: fat is liposuctioned from the abdomen, flanks or thighs, purified and injected into the breast. It avoids an implant entirely and reshapes the donor area, but it gives a modest increase — usually half a cup to one cup — and 30–40% of the transferred fat is reabsorbed.
• Hybrid augmentation: an implant for volume plus a thin layer of fat over it to soften the edges. Useful for slim patients with little natural breast tissue.

Implant shape, surface and placement

• Round implants: fuller in the upper part of the breast, giving more cleavage and a more obvious result.
• Anatomical (teardrop) implants: more volume at the bottom, following the natural slope of the breast.
• Smooth surface: the current standard. Textured implants are now used rarely because of their association with a rare immune-system cancer, BIA-ALCL.
• Placement: subglandular (behind the breast tissue), submuscular (behind the chest muscle) or dual plane, which is a combination. Submuscular and dual plane give a softer upper edge and interfere less with mammograms, and are usually preferred in slimmer patients.

Valentmedica works with Mentor, Motiva and Polytech implants. All three carry a manufacturer warranty that is valid internationally, and you receive the implant passport with your batch numbers before you fly home.

What the package includes

• Surgeon and anaesthetist fees
• One night in a private hospital room
• Implants with international warranty
• All pre-operative blood tests and scans
• Five nights in a four-star hotel with breakfast
• All airport, hotel and hospital transfers
• A personal English-speaking coordinator
• Post-operative surgical bra and medication
• Follow-up appointment before you fly home
• Twelve months of remote aftercare

What is not included

Flights are not included, so you can book the fare and route that suit you. Also excluded are travel insurance that covers elective surgery abroad, meals outside hotel breakfast, and any revision surgery, which is quoted separately. There are no consultation fees at any stage.

Breast augmentation is usually suitable if

• You are over 18 — and over 22 for silicone implants, which is the usual international guidance.
• Your breasts are fully developed and your size has been stable for at least a year.
• You feel your breasts are too small for your frame, or lost volume after pregnancy or weight loss.
• One breast is noticeably smaller than the other and you would like them more even.
• You are a non-smoker, or can stop at least four weeks before surgery.
• Your expectations are realistic: an implant adds volume and fullness, not a lift.

You may need to wait, or consider something else

• You are pregnant or breastfeeding: wait at least six months after you stop.
• You are planning a pregnancy soon, which can change breast size and shape again.
• Your nipple sits below the breast fold: a lift, with or without an implant, will give a better result.
• You have an untreated breast lump, or a mammogram that has not been followed up.
• You have a significant untreated health condition, or a BMI over 35.

Not sure which category you fall into? The one-minute self-check below gives you an honest answer, and a Valentmedica surgeon reviews your photographs free of charge before you commit to anything.

1. Marking: with you standing, your surgeon marks the breast fold, the midline and the planned pocket. This is done the morning of surgery and takes about fifteen minutes.
2. Anaesthetic: a consultant anaesthetist puts you to sleep. You are monitored throughout and for the first hours afterwards.
3. Incision: a 4–5 cm cut is made in the inframammary fold, where the scar is hidden by the breast itself. A periareolar incision, around the lower edge of the nipple, is an alternative in some cases.
4. Creating the pocket: the surgeon lifts the breast tissue, and in a dual-plane or submuscular approach releases the lower edge of the pectoral muscle, creating a space exactly the size of the implant.
5. Sizing and placement: a temporary sizer confirms the result while you are on the table. The implant is then inserted — usually with a Keller funnel, a no-touch technique that reduces contamination — and positioned.
6. Checking symmetry: you are sat upright on the operating table so your surgeon can compare both sides before closing.
7. Closing: the incision is closed in three layers with dissolving sutures, and a surgical bra is fitted before you wake. Drains are rarely needed.

• Days 1–3: tightness across the chest, like a hard workout. Pain is controlled with simple painkillers. You can walk, eat normally and shower from day three.
• Week 1: swelling peaks around day three then begins to settle. Sleep on your back, slightly propped up. No lifting anything heavier than a kettle.
• Weeks 2–3: most patients are back at a desk job and driving. Bruising fades. You wear the surgical bra day and night.
• Weeks 4–6: light exercise such as walking and cycling can restart. No chest or shoulder work, no running, no lifting children.
• Weeks 6–8: full exercise, including upper-body training, with your surgeon's approval. You can move to a normal supportive bra.
• Months 3–6: implants settle into their final position — the "drop and fluff" — and the upper fullness softens into a natural slope. Scars begin to fade.

Valentmedica works only with JCI-accredited private hospitals in Istanbul and with plastic surgeons registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health who hold Turkish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons membership. You are given your surgeon's name and registration number before you pay anything.

Risks you should know about

• Capsular contracture: scar tissue tightens around the implant, making the breast firm or distorted. Affects roughly 1 in 20 patients.
• Implant rupture: uncommon with modern cohesive gel, and usually silent — found on a scan rather than felt.
• Changed nipple sensation: temporary numbness is common; permanent change affects a small minority.
• Rippling: visible edges or waves, most likely in slim patients with thin tissue and subglandular placement.
• Infection or haematoma: uncommon, but may need a return to theatre.
• Asymmetry: breasts are never identical, and a small difference usually remains.
• BIA-ALCL: a rare lymphoma linked to textured implants. Valentmedica uses smooth implants.
• Blood clots: the reason for compression stockings, early walking and a six-night stay.

Implants do not prevent breastfeeding for most women, and they do not cause breast cancer. They can make mammograms harder to read, so tell your radiographer you have implants — extra views are taken.

The most common combination is augmentation with a breast lift, for patients who want both volume and a higher nipple position. A mommy makeover adds a tummy tuck, and is popular with patients whose body changed after pregnancy.

Commonly combined with

• Breast lift: when the nipple sits at or below the breast fold. Adds roughly £1,000 and one night to the package.
• Tummy tuck: the classic mommy makeover. Total theatre time rises to around five hours, and the stay extends to seven nights.
• Liposuction: often used to harvest fat for a hybrid augmentation, reshaping the waist at the same time.
• Arm lift or thigh lift: possible, but your surgeon will usually ask you to split these across two trips to keep total operating time safe.

There is a limit. Most surgeons will not operate for more than six hours in one sitting, because longer anaesthetic time raises the risk of clots and wound problems. If your wish list is too long, Valentmedica will say so and plan two trips rather than take the risk.

• Medication: tell your surgeon everything you take. Blood thinners, anti-inflammatories, the combined pill and some supplements may need pausing.
• Smoking: nicotine in any form — including vapes and patches — reduces blood flow to the skin and significantly raises the risk of wound-healing problems.
• Time off: plan 10 days away from work and 6 weeks away from the gym, heavy lifting and lifting small children.
• Breast screening: if you are over 40, or have a family history, have a mammogram or ultrasound before you travel.
• Packing list: front-opening or zip tops, slip-on shoes, a travel pillow, compression stockings, and your regular medication in its original packaging.

Implants themselves do not age, but your breasts do. Weight change, pregnancy and gravity will keep altering the shape of the breast tissue around the implant, which is why some patients choose a lift or an exchange years later. Keeping your weight stable and wearing a properly fitted supportive bra for sport makes a measurable difference.

Scars are pink and firm for the first three months, then flatten and lighten over 12 to 18 months. Silicone gel or tape from week three, plus strict sun protection, improves the final appearance. You can see how scars settle at different stages in our breast surgery before and after gallery.