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Honest Review of Dr Ilker Kocak
I had a rhinoplasty with this Dr around 5 months ago now and was waiting so that I could write a thorough review. I spent over a year searching for a surgeon and contacted around 30 surgeons both in the UK and abroad and finally decided to go with Dr Ilker Kocak. It was the best decision I could have made and I couldn’t be happier with my new nose.
I found him on Instagram and contacted him via WhatsApp, the process couldn’t have been easier with the surgeon and his assistant arranging all hotels and transfers for us. The only thing we had to book was our flights. A couple of months later I flew to Istanbul for my consultation. The Dr was very realistic about what was achievable with my nose. He has quite a blunt and straight to the point approach, but never in a rude way-I left feeling very reassured and excited for my surgery. I then went to the hospital for my blood work and covid test, they provided us with a translator who explained what the doctors were doing at each stage so I always knew what was going on.
A couple of days later I arrived at the hospital for surgery. The hospital was honestly so well presented- private room with TV and spare bed for my partner and private bathroom with shower, fresh towels and toiletries. It had a little menu which you could order room service. I really could not fault the whole hospital experience it was 5* and so far beyond my expectations. The nurses English is limited but they know the basic things you need and they are nice and patient when trying to understand you. It’s nice to have Google translate on hand just incase you need to ask for something specific.
When it was time for my surgery I was wheeled down and given some anaesthetic. This was the most nerve wracking part but before I knew it I was waking up again. I was out of it for a good few hours then when I came around I threw up from the anaesthetic- the nurses reassured me this is quite normal. That night was uncomfortable but not painful. One thing to mention is I had to pay extra for my prescription before I left the hospital which I don’t think was mentioned to me before, however it was a really small charge I think like £10 for all the different medicines and antibiotics you need. When I woke up the next day the nurses brought a breakfast to my room for both me and my partner, then discharged me and I could go back to the hotel. At this point I had some minor bruising around my eyes. Over the next couple of days my bruising got quite bad, one of my eyes swelled and I had some burst blood vessels in one eye but I was not in any pain. I think my bruising was on the severe side and I’ve watched a lot of nose job vlogs and no one’s seemed to be quite as bad as mine, the Dr also said my bruising was quite bad for what he’d normally expect but I kept icing my eyes constantly and it was completely gone after a couple of weeks.
After about a week it was time for my control appointment. This appointment was the first time I ever felt pain during the whole process and the Dr had to inject me with anaesthetic twice. Again I think this was unique to my case as there were a couple of little things he had to sort out such as doing some of my stitches again, which I don’t think normally happens at this appointment. He put my cast back on and advised me to wear it for another 5 days. I left the appointment feeling a little bit overwhelmed as my nose was super swollen but I knew I had to trust the process and was optimistic.
Then I flew home to begin my recovery back in the UK! I kept updating the Dr and sending him pictures and videos every 2 weeks so he could check on my progress. He was happy with it but one thing that we were both not satisfied with was my nose was still quite swollen from the front view. It is only now at the 5 month mark that this is really starting to go and I am so relieved as Dr Kocak actually suggested I fly back and see him if this didn’t subside. This is one thing to remember if you’re travelling from abroad- I expected to just get my surgery and that be it but everyone heals differently so be prepared that you may need a second visit as this is something I admit I completely overlooked! Another big thing to note is the Dr gives you nose tape and a retainer to wear when you get home, and based on the pictures you send he tells you when you can take these off. I ended up wearing these for over a month for 24 hours a day, so this is something to consider for going back to work etc- this surgery is definitely a process and isn’t a quick fix! The Dr recommended I could go back to work after a couple of weeks but I actually ended up taking the full month off as this is just what I felt I needed- again everyone heals differently and I definitely think I was on the far end of the spectrum so I don’t think this is the case for everybody. One other thing is if you’re travelling from abroad I really recommend you take someone with you if you can. For a few days you are a little bit debilitated so it’s definitely helpful to have someone there to help you. As well as this Istanbul is a BEAUTIFUL city with lots to do- me and my partner got so much done and honestly made a whole holiday out of it, I think I would have missed out on a lot of exploring if I’d have gone on my own as I wouldn’t have been as confident to go out and about as much as we did.
One thing I do think could have been improved would be the communication from the Drs assistant. The Dr said his assistant would give me a time for my consultation before the day but it got to midday on the day of and I still hadn’t heard anything. I contacted the Dr directly and it was an easy fix but it did cause a little bit of unnecessary stress trying to sort it out and when you’re in a foreign country for surgery you just want to be reassured that everything is organised smoothly. Overall this was something very small and my experience with every other aspect was faultless so it does not change my 5 star review.
Fast forward to now, I really could not be happier with my nose and how it is healing. The Dr is always available on whatsapp for ongoing support should you have any questions and responds quickly. My nose is still constantly changing and looks better every single week, I can’t wait for the next 5 months to see how it will progress. Everyone comments on how natural it looks and how well it fits my face, my scar is essentially invisible. I have recommended my experience to so many people. It’s definitely not about price, but I also have to mention that I saved so much money going abroad compared to getting it done in the UK and in my opinion the standard of surgeons, the presentation of the hospital and the calibre of treatment you receive in Istanbul is really not comparable to anything I found over here when I had consultations.
If you are looking for a rhinoplasty surgeon definitely definitely consider Dr Ilker Kocak, I cannot recommend his service enough and will always be grateful I came across him! If anyone has any questions feel free to contact me I have so many photos and videos of the whole process and there’s also lots of photos of my nose on my instagram
A couple of days later I arrived at the hospital for surgery. The hospital was honestly so well presented- private room with TV and spare bed for my partner and private bathroom with shower, fresh towels and toiletries. It had a little menu which you could order room service. I really could not fault the whole hospital experience it was 5* and so far beyond my expectations. The nurses English is limited but they know the basic things you need and they are nice and patient when trying to understand you. It’s nice to have Google translate on hand just incase you need to ask for something specific.
When it was time for my surgery I was wheeled down and given some anaesthetic. This was the most nerve wracking part but before I knew it I was waking up again. I was out of it for a good few hours then when I came around I threw up from the anaesthetic- the nurses reassured me this is quite normal. That night was uncomfortable but not painful. One thing to mention is I had to pay extra for my prescription before I left the hospital which I don’t think was mentioned to me before, however it was a really small charge I think like £10 for all the different medicines and antibiotics you need. When I woke up the next day the nurses brought a breakfast to my room for both me and my partner, then discharged me and I could go back to the hotel. At this point I had some minor bruising around my eyes. Over the next couple of days my bruising got quite bad, one of my eyes swelled and I had some burst blood vessels in one eye but I was not in any pain. I think my bruising was on the severe side and I’ve watched a lot of nose job vlogs and no one’s seemed to be quite as bad as mine, the Dr also said my bruising was quite bad for what he’d normally expect but I kept icing my eyes constantly and it was completely gone after a couple of weeks.
After about a week it was time for my control appointment. This appointment was the first time I ever felt pain during the whole process and the Dr had to inject me with anaesthetic twice. Again I think this was unique to my case as there were a couple of little things he had to sort out such as doing some of my stitches again, which I don’t think normally happens at this appointment. He put my cast back on and advised me to wear it for another 5 days. I left the appointment feeling a little bit overwhelmed as my nose was super swollen but I knew I had to trust the process and was optimistic.
Then I flew home to begin my recovery back in the UK! I kept updating the Dr and sending him pictures and videos every 2 weeks so he could check on my progress. He was happy with it but one thing that we were both not satisfied with was my nose was still quite swollen from the front view. It is only now at the 5 month mark that this is really starting to go and I am so relieved as Dr Kocak actually suggested I fly back and see him if this didn’t subside. This is one thing to remember if you’re travelling from abroad- I expected to just get my surgery and that be it but everyone heals differently so be prepared that you may need a second visit as this is something I admit I completely overlooked! Another big thing to note is the Dr gives you nose tape and a retainer to wear when you get home, and based on the pictures you send he tells you when you can take these off. I ended up wearing these for over a month for 24 hours a day, so this is something to consider for going back to work etc- this surgery is definitely a process and isn’t a quick fix! The Dr recommended I could go back to work after a couple of weeks but I actually ended up taking the full month off as this is just what I felt I needed- again everyone heals differently and I definitely think I was on the far end of the spectrum so I don’t think this is the case for everybody. One other thing is if you’re travelling from abroad I really recommend you take someone with you if you can. For a few days you are a little bit debilitated so it’s definitely helpful to have someone there to help you. As well as this Istanbul is a BEAUTIFUL city with lots to do- me and my partner got so much done and honestly made a whole holiday out of it, I think I would have missed out on a lot of exploring if I’d have gone on my own as I wouldn’t have been as confident to go out and about as much as we did.
One thing I do think could have been improved would be the communication from the Drs assistant. The Dr said his assistant would give me a time for my consultation before the day but it got to midday on the day of and I still hadn’t heard anything. I contacted the Dr directly and it was an easy fix but it did cause a little bit of unnecessary stress trying to sort it out and when you’re in a foreign country for surgery you just want to be reassured that everything is organised smoothly. Overall this was something very small and my experience with every other aspect was faultless so it does not change my 5 star review.
Fast forward to now, I really could not be happier with my nose and how it is healing. The Dr is always available on whatsapp for ongoing support should you have any questions and responds quickly. My nose is still constantly changing and looks better every single week, I can’t wait for the next 5 months to see how it will progress. Everyone comments on how natural it looks and how well it fits my face, my scar is essentially invisible. I have recommended my experience to so many people. It’s definitely not about price, but I also have to mention that I saved so much money going abroad compared to getting it done in the UK and in my opinion the standard of surgeons, the presentation of the hospital and the calibre of treatment you receive in Istanbul is really not comparable to anything I found over here when I had consultations.
If you are looking for a rhinoplasty surgeon definitely definitely consider Dr Ilker Kocak, I cannot recommend his service enough and will always be grateful I came across him! If anyone has any questions feel free to contact me I have so many photos and videos of the whole process and there’s also lots of photos of my nose on my instagram
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