Rhinoplasty in Istanbul performed by Op. Dr. Emre Ilhan

I'm a 30-year male residing in Sweden. For many years I thought about having a rhinoplasty. I didn't like the big bump on the bridge of my nose and the hanging nose tip in front of my upper lip. I especially disliked my side profile and the size of my nose. With the help of rhinoplasty I hoped to reshape my nose a make it smaller och more harmonious with the rest of my facial attributes.

I considered making the surgery in Stockholm, but came to the conclusion that I would probably don't be happy with the result due to the use of old techniques and limited understanding of those robust mediterranean noses. Yes - I'm generalizing a notch here, but I had to follow my gut on this one. Also the thought of putting up with extensive bruising and swelling not to mention a long recovery time made me think twice about going through with the surgery. I was also worried about having to consider a revision rhinoplasty in the future. This also made me hesitant to get the nose fixed until the day I found the right doctor. I was determined to find a confident surgeon with a distinct philosophy, aesthetic eye and who also utilized modern techniques. I had to look beyond Sweden.

After much deliberation and research on the internet a name surfaced - Dr. Emre Ilhan. He seemed to have a good record and was well spoken of on different forums. He runs a clinic on the asian side of Istanbul. I went on and read every article on his website and was appealed by the technique developed and applied by the doctor. Instead of using old conventional methods when performing osteotomy a technique called Ultrasonic Rhinoplasty is used to increase precision and dramatically decreases the bruising and swelling after the surgery. I would really recommend you to visit the website and read the information about this technique there. It's a well presented, professional and informative website about practically every aspect regarding rhinoplasty. It really helped me make my decision. I also discovered that Dr. Ilhan is very present on social media. Here I follow his work and also saw his patients results. Most of the updates are in turkish though and would've liked to partake in english.

I sent a mail to the clinic back in June 2015 and was informed about the whole process. I was also notified that the waiting list to get an appointment for consultation and making the surgery was almost a year. A took this as a good sign. There was apparently a long line of patients who wanted invest their time, energy and resources with this surgeon. Because I was a patient from abroad I had to stay in Istanbul for at least two weeks. You will need at least 10 days for your post-op consultations and medical examinations. Make sure to plan your trip well.

In June 2016 I made the trip to Istanbul and had my first consultation with Dr. Emre Ilhan. Patients from abroad (and they are many) goes through with all consultations within days and then proceed to surgery. During these sessions Dr. Ilhan asks you about what you would like to do and your expectations. What I liked about the doctor is his honesty and advice in which way the nose could and should be reshaped. He will dissuade you from making changes you might think is good but isn't. You may admire a certain type of nose for some reason, but that doesn't change the fact that the nose may not be suitable for you. This should be common sense when deciding to perform rhinoplasty. I bet many doctors can reshape your nose, but you really want someone with an brilliant aesthetic eye without compromising your faces structural integrity and paying attention to your facial proportions. With the help image simulation the doctor visualized how the results will be.

Only two days after my last consultation and on my sixth day in Istanbul the surgery was performed in a small, but clean and modern hospital called Diyabet Hospital. I never felt any discomfort before being put under general anesthesia. I would recommend you to prepare yourself with an basic turkish vocabulary for communicating with the nurses in the hospital. They were very helpful and caring, but the english proficiency in Turkey is still low even in a international city such as Istanbul. You will manage just fine, but it's a good thing to be aware of. After the surgery you spend the night in the hospital before being discharged the next by the doctor.

The surgery is actually the easy part. Once you are back in your accommodation you should be patient and rest a lot. You're making this trip for the rhinoplasty and not for any other purpose. This is crucial for a faster recovery and less swelling. I found the first 3-4 days to most tiring. As I had hope there was no bruising or even yellowing around the eyes. My face swelled of course, but was back to normal on the sixth day. After the cast and silicon tubes (helps you breath with your nose) were removed it felt much better. I could immediately breath through my nose again which was a huge relief. I also started to get back my sense of smell and taste.

After the surgery you are also expected to visit Dr. Ilhan for a couple of post-op consultations to monitor your recovery process and to make sure everything is fine before you go back home. The doctors takes his time to answer your questions and his surgical assistant Cansu was also available on phone to assist if I had any questions and/or complications.

Dr. Ilhan did finally let view my nose without the taping and the elegantly made stitches during my third post-op consultation on the the eight day after surgery. I were immediately very happy with the result even thou the nose was still swollen. I was informed that most of the swelling dissolves after 6-8 weeks, but the nose continues to be swollen for a couple of more months before the final results can been seen. As I had hoped there was hardly any signs in my face (except the new shape of the nose) that showed I had my nose done. And this was a huge one major deal breaker for me.

To conclude this review. I would really like recommend anyone show interest for Dr. Ilhans work. He is both professional and passionate about what he do. And it really shows in the efforts he makes to achieve astonishing results.