Ethnic Rhinoplasty - Dr Umit Taskin. Istanbul, Turkey

I have wanted rhinoplasty for many years now. I originally wanted to have it done by the time I turned 21 however I wasn’t financially prepared to do so and had never found a surgeon I get comfortable with performing the surgery for me so I held back. I am now 27 years old and tomorrow I fly to Istanbul for the procedure which will be undertaken by Dr Umit Taskin.
A bit of background - I have never absolutely hated my nose, but growing up my mother made me feel insecure about my nose and always spoke to me about getting a nose job so even as a child it was something I felt I had to do. She says it’s because of an accident I had when I was really young. Aside from that, I have always have difficulty with my breathing. My nose is constantly either blocked/stuffy/runny which is so frustrating. It feels like I have constant allergies or I’m always unwell. Hopefully these issues will be addressed in surgery.
I decided to go with Dr Taskin after one of my own clients travelled to Istanbul for rhinoplasty last summer. Her results were incredible and so I contacted her surgeon who informed me that he did not feel comfortable performing surgery on my nose due to my ethnicity and his lack of experience in that field. I was appreciative of his honesty and it made me realise that I needed a surgeon who had experience specifically in ethnic rhinoplasty.
That’s when I came across 3 potential surgeons to perform my rhinoplasty. They were Dr Resit Kayan, Dr Bora Ok and Dr Umit Taskin.
I spoke to Dr Kayan and originally booked to have surgery with him but after reading some negative reviews and also discovering his use of fake followers and likes on Instagram, it put me off. I chose Dr Taskin over Dr Ok purely because it seemed Dr Taskin had performed more ethnic rhinoplasty and was worked on them as a more specific field than the others. He is a specialist in facial plastic surgery only so that was the selling point for me.
I messaged him on WhatsApp in September with some images of my nose and he informed me of what he would do which involves working on my bulbous nasal tip and narrowing and firming my nasal bridge and giving it a bit more structure. I sent him pictures of the sort of nose I would love to achieve and he said that we could get similar results so I’m happy with that. He advised me on hotels he recommended, so I booked my surgery with him and paid for my flights and hotel. I will fly tomorrow morning, along with my fiancé who was determined to come with me. It’s come around really quickly and I’m really excited but still a little nervous.
I have been fortunate enough to speak to other people who have undergone ethnic rhinoplasty and see their results and ask questions. There were very few reviews about Dr Taskin online which made me worried, So speaking to actual patients has helped me to gain confidence in him. That is why I am writing this review, to help others who are considering rhinoplasty with him.
I will try and regularly update my review with images :)

So I’m a little late with my update.
I flew to Istanbul with my fiancé on Thursday 3rd January. The flight was a little late so I was worried when we landed and I could not find my transfer to take us to Dr Taskin’s office. However, there were a few guys at the airport who were very helpful and managed to sort out my transfer after speaking to Dr Taskin on the phone.
When we arrived for my consultation, there was a bit of a wait, which was fine. Dr Taskin arrived and greeted us and took us to his office. He was very welcoming, friendly and kind. He instantly made me feel comfortable in his presence. He asked me a few questions about what I wanted to achieve from surgery, such as ideals for my nose shape, any reference pictures that I had. He told me that what I had in mind was very achievable and he told me what he would like to do to my nose to help me achieve those results. His assistant took some photographs of my nose and I asked Dr Taskin if he could show me what results he could achieve through digital manipulation of the photographs on photoshop. He did note that it would not be exact because digital editing is not a true example of what results I would achieve but it was just to give me a rough idea, which I understood. It helped to visually see what he had in mind for my nose, and it was also good to see we were on the same page as to what results I wanted to achieve.
Afterwards, I asked more questions, such as how long I would need off work, how long before I could exercise and some more aftercare instructions. Whilst I feel that the information was not thorough enough (I would have liked a written document for aftercare to help me remember everything) I had every faith in Dr Taskin and trusted that he would meet my expectations.
He told me to be at the hospital for 7am the following morning for my blood tests and pre op assessments. Surgery would be before midday. I left feeling confident and happy with my decision to go ahead with surgery. That night I barely slept because I was so excited! It still didn’t feel real at all!

So now, I am 2 days post op!
My fiancée and I arrived at the hospital 7am Friday 4th January for my surgery.
There were some language barriers at the hospital so I do recommend having a translation app that works offline!
We were directed to another office where I had to hand in my passport and pay for the surgery. I was then taken to my room which was just incredible. The hospital itself is unlike any hospital I have ever been to. The standards are so high, it is immaculate!
I had my bloods taken and met the translator who helped the nurse and I fill in my pre op assessment questionnaire.
Whilst waiting to have my surgery, meals were bought in for my fiancée (I was not allowed to eat before my surgery).
I think it was about 11.30 when I was taken away for surgery. I spoke to Dr Taskin shortly before surgery and then everything seems like such a blur after that. I remember going into theatre, feeling slightly nervous, and being given my anaesthetic.
I woke up around 3pm, In another room. I felt immediate discomfort from my rib where the cartilage was harvested, but my nose just felt stuffy. I felt exhausted and kept drifting in and out of sleep. A couple nurses came to take me back to my room. I remember feeling how bad the pain was from my rib when I had to get out of the surgery bed and into the bed in my room.
My other half told me that Dr Taskin had been to see him after the surgery was complete and had said that it went well and he was happy with the results. He said he would send pictures and be back to visit me the following day with my instructions for medications etc.
I couldn’t believe I did it, I was in quite a bit of shock from it all. The pain from my nose is more of a discomfort and is not that bad, however, the pain in my ribs I feel is really awful. I underestimated how bad that would feel. I also suffered with really bad pins and needles in my feet. It lasted in my right foot for about 2 hours and in my left foot, about 12+ hours. I tried to walk to help relieve the pins and needles and get circulation back in my feet.
I was allowed to eat at around 6pm. My meal consisted of purée vegetables and soup which was easy to eat and gave me a it of energy.
I was also given some ice for the swelling but the nurses only replaced it once. I felt as though the nurses needed to be promoted to do certain things, like changing my ice and the gauze under my nose.
Unfortunately, I ended up suffering with sneezing really badly and the silicone tampons that were inserted into my nostrils came out. I was worried that this would be bad but nothing was done about replacing them, so I guess it wasn’t necessary. I felt more able to breathe, but my nose kept running like crazy and drenching the gauze under my nostrils, so that needed replacing every few hours.
During the night, I had a different nurse who seemed a lot better than my other nurses. She gave me my antibiotics and painkillers and changed my gauze twice during the night.
It was quite difficult to sleep comfortably for long periods of time as I had to sleep upright.
I didn’t seem to have much bruising or swelling though which was good.
The following day, Dr Taskin came with his assistant and informed me of what my medications where, and when to take them. He said that I could be discharged and said if I needed to ask any questions then I should feel free to message him at any time.
That night, he sent me pictures from my surgery. So far I’m impressed with the results.
I know when I get my cast removed, I will have some swelling to deal with, and that a lot of patience is required before I see the final result. I can’t wait for the pain in my rib to ease off, and also I wish for my nose to stop running so much, but the worst is over and I am really laid that I went through with it.
Also very grateful to have my fiancée with me. I was adamant I would go on my own but because he didn’t want me to, he insisted he would come. Now I think it would have been so much harder if I did go alone. If anyone is considering going, please try and arrange to have someone travel with you if you can as it really does help!