For patients in South Africa

Body contouring in Turkey from South Africa: a plain guide

Body contouring is the umbrella term for operations that reshape the body by removing loose skin, reducing stubborn fat or improving proportions. This page sets out the body procedures we offer, how to tell which one you might need, and what South African patients should plan for, above all the ten-hour flight home after surgery.

Guides for South African patients: Tummy tuck · Liposuction · BBL · Mummy makeover

Body procedures we offer

• Tummy tuck — removes loose skin and fat from the abdomen, usually with repair of separated muscles
• Liposuction — removes stubborn fat, including VASER liposuction
• Buttock shaping — the Brazilian butt lift (BBL), which moves your own fat to the buttocks, buttock implants and buttock lift
• Mummy makeover — a combination of procedures after pregnancy, usually abdomen and breasts
• Fat transfer — your own fat moved to the breasts, buttocks or other areas
• Body lift — skin removal from the lower body, often after major weight loss
• Arm lift and thigh lift — removal of loose skin from the upper arms or thighs
• Calf implants — to add shape to the lower legs

Revision of earlier body contouring surgery is also possible, after a surgeon has reviewed your records.

Which one do you need?

The starting point is the problem, not the name of the operation:

• Loose skin — needs skin removal: a tummy tuck, body lift, arm lift or thigh lift
• Stubborn fat at a stable weight — liposuction, if the skin is firm enough to shrink back
• Lack of volume — fat transfer or a BBL, which needs enough fat elsewhere to take from

Many people have a mix of all three. The surgeon decides the plan from your photographs and medical history, and will say so if a smaller operation would do. Liposuction is not a weight-loss treatment and will not tighten loose skin.

After major weight loss

Skin removal works best once your weight has been stable for some months. If you are still losing weight, or taking Mounjaro, Wegovy or another weight-loss injection, say so at the start: the injection has to be paused before anaesthesia (see Mounjaro before a tummy tuck). Where there is loose skin in several areas, the surgeon may split the work into more than one operation, months apart, rather than do everything at once.

Planning the trip from South Africa

• There are direct flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Istanbul of around ten hours, then a short domestic flight to İzmir
• South Africans need an e-Visa; see the e-Visa guide
• Body surgery followed by a ten-hour flight raises the risk of blood clots. Wear your compression garment on the flight, take an aisle seat, walk regularly and drink water
• The surgeon decides when you are fit to fly, and South Africans may be asked to stay longer than patients with shorter flights. Book a return ticket you can change
• Patients usually recover at Mandarin Grove near İzmir. Turkish summers are hot, and compression garments are worn for weeks, so pack light, loose clothing
• Turkey is only one hour ahead of South Africa, which makes follow-up calls easy
• South African medical schemes generally do not cover cosmetic surgery, and travel insurance usually excludes planned surgery abroad

Follow-up at home

Follow-up continues by photograph, message and video call with the same team. Complications and clinically necessary revisions within a year are covered by our treatment guarantee. Keep your GP informed, and ask us before you book how follow-up would work in your city. Facts about the hospital and team are on the clinic facts page, and our complaints procedure is published.

What we will not do

We will not confirm a plan before a surgeon has reviewed you, we will not promise a result, and we will not operate if your weight or health makes it unsafe. A long journey is not a reason to combine more procedures in one operation than the surgeon judges safe.

Frequently asked questions

Which body contouring procedure is right for me?

It depends on whether the problem is loose skin, stubborn fat or a lack of volume. A surgeon reviews your photographs and medical history and recommends a plan; you do not need to choose before the consultation.

Is liposuction a way to lose weight?

No. Liposuction removes stubborn pockets of fat at a stable weight. It is not a weight-loss treatment and does not tighten loose skin.

How long after body surgery can I fly home to South Africa?

The surgeon decides when you are fit to fly. Because the flight home takes around ten hours and body surgery raises the risk of blood clots, South African patients may be asked to stay longer than patients with shorter flights.

Can I have several body procedures in one operation?

Sometimes, but only what the surgeon judges safe in a single operation. After major weight loss, skin removal is often staged over more than one operation.

Will my medical aid cover body contouring surgery?

South African medical schemes generally do not cover cosmetic surgery, and standard travel insurance usually excludes planned surgery abroad. Ask both specifically.

Start with a free online consultation. Planning the trip? Read the guide for South African patients and the e-Visa guide.