Turkey has become one of the world’s most popular destinations for cosmetic and plastic surgery. Patients from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia and the Gulf countries regularly travel to Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir and other Turkish cities for cosmetic procedures.

Rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, liposuction, tummy tuck, face-lift, Brazilian butt lift and combined cosmetic surgery packages are among the procedures frequently marketed to international patients.

Many of these operations are performed successfully.

However, what happens when plastic surgery in Turkey goes seriously wrong?

What if a patient returns home with permanent scarring, asymmetry, nerve damage, infection or another unexpected injury?

What if the surgeon refuses responsibility and describes the problem as a “normal complication”?

What if the clinic offers revision surgery but the patient no longer trusts the doctor?

Can the patient obtain a refund?

Can compensation be claimed for corrective surgery in another country?

Can a British or European patient sue a Turkish plastic surgeon without repeatedly travelling back to Turkey?

The answer to several of these questions may be yes, depending on the circumstances.

Foreign patients receiving cosmetic treatment in Turkey have legal rights. Being a foreign national does not remove the protections provided by Turkish medical, contractual, consumer and patient-rights law.

Moreover, cosmetic surgery occupies a particularly important position in Turkish case law because the Turkish Court of Cassation has repeatedly treated certain purely aesthetic procedures as contracts for work, meaning that the agreed aesthetic result can have greater legal significance than in ordinary therapeutic medicine.

Nevertheless, a disappointing result does not automatically mean that the doctor is legally liable.

A successful claim requires careful examination of the treatment, the result promised, medical standards, informed consent, complications, postoperative management, medical records, expert evidence and causation.

This guide explains the principal legal rights of foreign patients following botched plastic surgery in Turkey and the practical steps that may be taken to protect a compensation claim.

What Does “Botched Plastic Surgery” Mean Legally?

“Botched surgery” is not a technical term used by Turkish legislation.

Patients usually use the expression to describe a cosmetic operation that has produced an unexpected, harmful or aesthetically unacceptable result.

Examples may include:

• severe asymmetry;
• visible deformity;
• excessive or permanent scarring;
• breast implant displacement;
• nipple or breast asymmetry;
• skin necrosis;
• persistent nerve damage;
• chronic pain;
• facial asymmetry;
• breathing difficulties after rhinoplasty;
• damage to nasal structures;
• abdominal irregularities after liposuction;
• wound separation;
• infection;
• loss of sensation;
• excessive removal of tissue;
• inadequate removal of tissue;
• permanent pigmentation changes;
• serious postoperative complications;
• need for one or more corrective operations; or
• a result substantially different from what was agreed before surgery.

Not every one of these outcomes necessarily constitutes medical malpractice.

The legal question is not merely whether the patient dislikes the result.

The court may need to determine whether the surgeon and healthcare institution complied with their contractual obligations, professional duties, informed-consent obligations and accepted medical standards.

Are Foreign Patients Protected by Turkish Law?

Yes.

Turkish patient-rights legislation applies broadly to people receiving healthcare rather than only Turkish citizens. The Patient Rights Regulation covers public and private healthcare institutions and persons benefiting from healthcare services.

Depending on the individual case, a foreign cosmetic-surgery patient may rely on rules contained in:

• the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098;
• the Patient Rights Regulation;
• the Consumer Protection Law No. 6502;
• legislation governing private hospitals and healthcare professionals;
• the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698;
• the International Health Tourism and Tourist Health Regulation;
• administrative law where a public institution is involved; and
• criminal law where the conduct may also constitute a criminal offence.

The applicable combination of these rules depends on how and where the operation was performed.

For example, a claim against a private cosmetic clinic may follow a different procedural route from a claim arising from treatment in a public university hospital.

Plastic Surgery Is Legally Different From Ordinary Medical Treatment in Some Cases

One of the most important issues in Turkish cosmetic-surgery law concerns the contractual classification of aesthetic procedures.

In ordinary therapeutic medicine, the doctor generally undertakes to provide medically appropriate care rather than guaranteeing that the patient will recover.

Purely aesthetic surgery can be different.

The Turkish Court of Cassation has repeatedly treated certain aesthetic surgery relationships as a contract for work — “eser sözleşmesi” — because the patient is seeking a particular aesthetic result.

In a 2024 decision, the 6th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation stated that aesthetic surgery may constitute a contract for work and that obtaining the agreed aesthetic result forms part of the contractual obligation.

This approach remains current.

In Court of Cassation 6th Civil Chamber, E. 2025/3014, K. 2026/2257, dated 21 May 2026, the Court again dealt with a compensation claim arising from aesthetic breast surgery within the contractual framework applicable to an aesthetic operation. The reasoning emphasised the contractor’s duty of care and the significance of the agreed result.

This is highly relevant for foreign patients.

A patient who travelled to Turkey specifically to obtain an agreed cosmetic appearance may therefore have contractual arguments that go beyond a conventional allegation of medical negligence.

However, this does not mean that every unsuccessful cosmetic operation automatically leads to compensation.

Does a Plastic Surgeon in Turkey Guarantee the Result?

This question requires careful explanation.

Court of Cassation jurisprudence recognises the result-oriented character of purely aesthetic surgery when the relationship constitutes a contract for work.

However, the phrase “result guarantee” should not be interpreted to mean that a patient automatically wins a lawsuit whenever he or she is dissatisfied.

The 21 May 2026 Court of Cassation decision illustrates this point particularly clearly.

The dispute concerned breast surgery. Expert evidence concluded that the undesirable appearance arose from characteristics such as the patient’s skin structure and limited subcutaneous fatty tissue rather than an attributable error by the doctor.

The dismissal of the patient’s compensation claim was therefore upheld.

The decision demonstrates two principles operating together:

First: The expected aesthetic result can be legally significant in cosmetic surgery.

Second: Causation and medical evidence remain essential.

In other words, “I do not like the result” is not sufficient by itself.

The court will normally need expert evidence explaining why the undesirable result occurred.

What Types of Plastic Surgery Claims Are Common in Turkey?

Foreign-patient disputes frequently involve procedures such as:

Rhinoplasty

Possible complaints include:

• significant asymmetry;
• excessive removal of cartilage;
• nasal collapse;
• breathing difficulties;
• septal problems;
• deformity;
• visible scarring;
• an appearance substantially different from what was agreed.

A rhinoplasty claim may involve both aesthetic and functional damage.

For example, a patient may complain not only about appearance but also about an inability to breathe normally.

Breast Augmentation

Potential disputes may include:

• implant displacement;
• severe asymmetry;
• implant selection problems;
• inappropriate positioning;
• capsular contracture;
• infection;
• nipple damage;
• tissue damage;
• significant scarring.

Breast Reduction or Breast Lift

Claims may concern:

• asymmetry;
• nipple necrosis;
• loss of sensation;
• excessive tissue removal;
• major scarring;
• wound-healing problems.

Liposuction

Possible problems may include:

• contour irregularities;
• excessive fat removal;
• asymmetry;
• skin damage;
• burns;
• infection;
• organ injury;
• thromboembolic complications.

Tummy Tuck

Disputes may arise from:

• excessive scarring;
• wound separation;
• infection;
• necrosis;
• abdominal asymmetry;
• umbilical deformity;
• postoperative complications.

Brazilian Butt Lift

Because BBL surgery can involve significant medical risks, disputes may involve surgical technique, postoperative monitoring, informed consent and emergency complication management.

Face-Lift and Facial Surgery

Possible allegations may concern:

• nerve injury;
• facial paralysis;
• loss of sensation;
• asymmetry;
• scarring;
• tissue injury;
• unsatisfactory aesthetic outcome.

Each procedure must be assessed individually.

Medical Malpractice or Recognised Complication?

This is one of the central questions in almost every plastic-surgery dispute.

A complication is generally an adverse event that may occur despite appropriate medical treatment.

Examples can include infection, bleeding, scarring and other recognised risks depending on the procedure and patient.

However, the fact that something is medically recognised as a complication does not automatically remove legal liability.

The court may still need to ask:

Was the complication foreseeable?

Was the patient properly informed about that risk?

Were reasonable steps taken to prevent it?

Was the complication identified promptly?

Was it treated correctly?

Did the doctor delay necessary treatment?

Did inadequate management make the patient’s condition worse?

The Court of Cassation has stressed the importance of both informed consent and proper complication management in aesthetic surgery disputes.

This distinction is particularly important because some clinics respond to almost every complaint with the same sentence:

“It is just a complication.”

Legally, that statement alone is not enough.

Informed Consent Is Crucial in Cosmetic Surgery

Plastic surgery frequently involves procedures that are not medically necessary.

For this reason, explaining risks properly becomes particularly important.

The Patient Rights Regulation requires medical information to be provided in an understandable manner. Patients are entitled to obtain information concerning matters relevant to the medical intervention, and the information should be communicated in clear terms suited to the patient’s circumstances.

Valid consent is therefore not simply a signature at the bottom of a document.

A patient should understand the material nature and risks of the proposed treatment.

Potential legal problems may arise where:

• the consent form does not explain the relevant complication;
• the patient was given the form only minutes before surgery;
• the explanation was provided by a salesperson rather than the treating doctor;
• the document was in Turkish although the patient could not understand Turkish;
• the risks were described only in vague or generic terms;
• a materially different procedure was performed;
• the patient was told there was “no risk”;
• the promised surgeon did not actually perform important parts of the operation; or
• the scope of consent was unclear.

What If I Signed a Turkish Consent Form I Did Not Understand?

This is a particularly important issue for foreign patients.

A signature does not necessarily resolve the informed-consent question.

The surrounding circumstances matter.

Imagine a British patient who speaks no Turkish.

The patient is transported from a hotel to the hospital early in the morning, given several Turkish documents, instructed where to sign and taken to surgery shortly afterwards.

If a significant complication later arises, the hospital may rely on the signed form.

But the legal analysis may still include questions such as:

• Could the patient understand the document?
• Was an English translation provided?
• Did a competent person explain the procedure?
• Which risks were explained?
• When was the explanation provided?
• Was there sufficient opportunity to consider the information?
• Did the surgeon personally discuss the operation?
• Can the hospital prove that adequate oral information was provided?

These questions became especially important following a significant 2026 Court of Cassation decision on informed consent.

Important 2026 Court of Cassation Decision: Consent Can Create Liability Even Without Technical Malpractice

The Turkish Court of Cassation delivered an important decision on 20 May 2026.

In Court of Cassation 3rd Civil Chamber, E. 2026/87, K. 2026/3186, medical experts concluded that there was no technical malpractice in the treatment itself.

Nevertheless, the courts found that the informed-consent documentation was inadequate.

The defendants were also unable to prove that sufficient oral information had been provided to the patient.

The Court of Cassation upheld the compensation award.

The practical significance is substantial:

Technical medical treatment may comply with accepted standards, while liability may still arise because the patient was not adequately informed.

For foreign cosmetic-surgery patients, this can become particularly important where language barriers exist.

Can I Claim a Refund After Botched Plastic Surgery in Turkey?

Potentially, but a refund is not automatic.

Where an aesthetic procedure qualifies as a contract for work and there is legally attributable defective performance, the provisions of the Turkish Code of Obligations governing defective works may become relevant.

Article 475 of the Turkish Code of Obligations provides several remedies where the contractor is responsible for defects, including, depending on the statutory conditions:

• withdrawal from the contract;
• reduction of the price;
• requesting repair without charge where this would not involve disproportionate expense; and
• damages under general provisions.

How these remedies apply to a medical procedure requires particular caution.

Human-body interventions cannot always be treated in exactly the same practical way as defective construction or manufactured goods.

A patient cannot necessarily be required to undergo another operation by a doctor whom he or she no longer trusts.

The appropriate remedy must therefore be assessed according to the nature of the procedure, the defect and medical circumstances.

Can I Claim the Cost of Revision Surgery?

Potentially, yes.

If a legally attributable error makes corrective treatment necessary, reasonable corrective-treatment expenses may form part of a damages claim.

This may be particularly important for foreign patients who undergo revision surgery in the UK, Germany, France or another country where treatment costs are substantially higher.

Relevant evidence may include:

• independent specialist reports;
• written treatment plans;
• quotations for corrective surgery;
• invoices;
• hospital records;
• photographs;
• evidence showing why the revision became necessary.

The claimant must still establish the causal connection between the original treatment and the subsequent expense.

A more expensive quotation abroad is not automatically recoverable merely because it exists.

The necessity and reasonableness of the treatment may be examined.

What Other Compensation Can I Claim?

Turkish law recognises different categories of damages resulting from bodily injury.

Depending on the facts, recoverable financial loss may potentially include:

• corrective surgery costs;
• additional medical treatment;
• medication costs;
• rehabilitation;
• future healthcare expenses;
• lost earnings;
• loss of earning capacity;
• other losses arising from impairment of economic prospects.

The Turkish Code of Obligations also permits courts to award non-pecuniary compensation following injury to bodily integrity.

For cosmetic-surgery patients, non-material damage may be particularly significant where the patient suffers:

• permanent disfigurement;
• major visible scarring;
• chronic pain;
• loss of sensation;
• functional impairment;
• permanent bodily injury;
• a prolonged corrective-treatment process;
• serious effects on everyday life.

The amount of compensation is determined according to the circumstances of the individual case rather than by a fixed statutory tariff.

Can I Claim Lost Earnings?

Potentially.

Suppose a patient expected to remain in Turkey for seven days following cosmetic surgery.

Instead, because of a serious medical problem, the patient remains unable to work for three months.

If the inability to work is causally connected to legally attributable malpractice, lost earnings may potentially form part of the compensation analysis.

A foreign claimant should retain:

• employment contracts;
• salary statements;
• payslips;
• tax documentation;
• employer correspondence;
• medical certificates showing inability to work.

Self-employed claimants may require additional accounting evidence.

Who Is Responsible: Surgeon, Hospital or Medical Tourism Company?

International cosmetic surgery often involves several businesses.

For example:

1. The patient sees an advertisement on Instagram.
2. A salesperson contacts the patient through WhatsApp.
3. Payment is sent to a company.
4. A medical-tourism intermediary arranges transport and hotel accommodation.
5. Surgery is carried out at a separate hospital.
6. The surgeon works independently or through another healthcare entity.

This creates an important legal question:

Who actually owes the patient the relevant obligation?

Potential parties may include:

• the plastic surgeon;
• the hospital;
• the clinic;
• the company operating the clinic;
• the medical tourism intermediary;
• another healthcare professional;
• potentially more than one entity.

The answer depends on the contractual and factual structure.

It is therefore important to identify:

• who received payment;
• who issued the invoice;
• whose name appears on the contract;
• which institution provided treatment;
• which doctor actually performed surgery;
• who made promises concerning the result;
• who organised postoperative care.

A commercial Instagram name is not necessarily the legal name of the healthcare company.

New Rules for International Health Tourism in Turkey

Turkey substantially updated its international health-tourism framework in 2025.

The International Health Tourism and Tourist Health Regulation, published on 26 April 2025, regulates healthcare institutions and intermediary organisations providing healthcare services to persons travelling to Turkey for treatment. The Regulation replaced the earlier 2017 regime.

The new framework includes rules concerning:

• authorisation;
• healthcare-service standards;
• accreditation/certification;
• intermediary organisations;
• HealthTürkiye integration;
• documentation;
• billing;
• supervision.

This matters to foreign cosmetic-surgery patients because healthcare tourism is not simply an informal arrangement between an Instagram salesperson and a patient.

Providers operating within the system are subject to regulatory obligations.

Complication Insurance for International Cosmetic Surgery

One of the most important features of the 2025 Regulation concerns complication insurance.

For international health-tourism procedures involving surgical and interventional operations performed in an operating-room environment, healthcare institutions are required to obtain complication insurance.

The transitional deadline for existing healthcare institutions to comply with this requirement was 31 December 2025.

Accordingly, for qualifying cosmetic procedures performed during 2026 and afterwards, it may be important to investigate:

• whether complication insurance existed;
• which insurer provided the policy;
• whether the patient’s procedure fell within the policy;
• whether the relevant event is covered.

However, complication insurance is not the same thing as automatic malpractice compensation.

The policy must be examined.

Right to an Invoice and Detailed Treatment Information

International patients should always request formal financial documentation.

Under the 2025 Regulation, healthcare institutions must issue an invoice or appropriate sales document for international health-tourism services.

A detailed breakdown of healthcare services and unit prices must also accompany the invoice. Certain additional documents must be provided free of charge when requested.

This can become very important when a dispute arises.

For example, a patient may have paid £8,000 for a package but later discover that:

• only part of the payment reached the hospital;
• another company retained a significant amount;
• different procedures were invoiced;
• no proper invoice was issued.

Financial documentation helps identify the contractual structure and potential defendants.

Can I Obtain My Medical Records?

Yes.

Article 16 of the Patient Rights Regulation expressly allows a patient, authorised representative or legal representative to inspect medical records and obtain copies.

A foreign patient should request the complete medical file, not merely a discharge summary.

Relevant documents may include:

• preoperative consultation records;
• blood tests;
• medical photographs;
• anaesthesia records;
• informed-consent forms;
• operative notes;
• nursing records;
• postoperative observations;
• prescriptions;
• discharge summaries;
• laboratory records;
• pathology records;
• radiological images;
• implant information.

These documents may later become central evidence.

What If the Clinic Refuses to Give Me My Records?

Do not rely solely on repeated WhatsApp requests.

A formal documented request may be appropriate.

The patient’s right to inspect and obtain copies of medical records is expressly recognised by the Patient Rights Regulation.

Depending on the circumstances, further remedies may be available through patient-rights mechanisms, regulatory channels, data-protection processes or court proceedings.

The fact that the patient is outside Turkey does not automatically prevent an authorised Turkish lawyer from pursuing documentation.

Preserve WhatsApp Messages Immediately

Foreign patients frequently arrange cosmetic surgery almost entirely through WhatsApp.

These messages may contain important evidence concerning:

• the promised result;
• price;
• surgeon identity;
• procedure type;
• guarantees or assurances;
• postoperative care;
• revision surgery;
• acknowledgments that something went wrong.

Do not delete them.

Patients should preserve the complete conversation where possible rather than only selected screenshots.

The same applies to:

• Instagram messages;
• emails;
• voice messages;
• photographs;
• website representations;
• package advertisements.

Online material may later disappear.

Before-and-After Photographs Can Be Crucial Evidence

Cosmetic-surgery litigation is unusually visual.

Photographs may demonstrate:

• the patient’s preoperative condition;
• early postoperative complications;
• progression of wounds;
• infection;
• asymmetry;
• scarring;
• tissue necrosis;
• final aesthetic outcome.

Where possible, photographs should be preserved in their original digital form.

Patients should avoid relying solely on heavily edited or filtered images.

Independent medical photographs may also become useful.

Can the Clinic Publish My Photos on Instagram?

Medical photographs may contain personal and health-related information.

Health data is subject to enhanced protection under Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law.

Therefore, consent to receive surgery should not automatically be treated as unrestricted consent for marketing use of the patient’s photographs or medical information.

If a cosmetic clinic publishes identifiable before-and-after photographs without an appropriate legal basis, the patient may have separate privacy and data-protection issues in addition to the underlying malpractice dispute.

What If the Clinic Offers Free Revision Surgery?

This is common.

After a patient complains, the clinic may say:

“We will fix it free of charge.”

The offer may be commercially attractive but should be considered carefully.

Before returning for revision surgery, the patient should know:

• who will perform the operation;
• what exactly will be corrected;
• whether additional payment is required;
• what risks the revision involves;
• whether the clinic accepts responsibility;
• whether another surgeon should provide an independent opinion;
• whether the patient is being asked to sign a release or waiver.

Health considerations must always come first.

However, further surgery can also alter physical evidence.

Where medically safe, patients contemplating litigation may therefore wish to obtain appropriate documentation before revision.

Do I Have to Accept Revision Surgery From the Same Surgeon?

Not automatically.

A patient who has lost confidence in the original doctor may reasonably be reluctant to undergo another operation by the same person.

Whether the refusal of revision affects a compensation claim depends on the circumstances, including medical necessity, mitigation of damage and the proposed solution.

The issue should therefore be considered individually.

A clinic cannot simply assume that offering another operation completely eliminates all possible liability.

Can I Have Revision Surgery in My Home Country?

Yes, medically the patient may seek appropriate care wherever suitable treatment is available.

From a compensation perspective, however, it is useful to preserve evidence showing:

• why revision was necessary;
• what the new doctor diagnosed;
• what corrective procedure was recommended;
• the cost;
• whether the revision was urgent.

Foreign medical records should be retained.

For use in Turkish proceedings, translation and procedural formalities may later be required.

Do I Need an Independent Plastic Surgeon’s Report?

An independent medical opinion is often extremely useful.

It may assist in determining:

• what went wrong;
• whether the outcome falls within normal expectations;
• whether corrective surgery is required;
• whether damage is permanent;
• whether there was a treatment error;
• whether the complication was handled correctly.

However, a private report does not necessarily replace court-appointed expert examination.

Turkish courts frequently rely on specialised expert panels, universities or the Forensic Medicine Institute depending on the case.

Can I Sue a Private Cosmetic Clinic in Turkey?

Potentially, yes.

Where the treatment relationship qualifies as a consumer transaction, Turkish consumer-law rules may apply.

Consumer courts have jurisdiction over disputes arising from consumer transactions. Turkish legislation also generally requires mediation before proceedings in consumer courts, subject to statutory exceptions.

The exact court and procedural route depend on the defendants, treatment relationship and legal basis of the claim.

This should be determined before litigation begins.

Can I Sue From the UK, Germany or Another Country?

In many cases, the patient can begin the Turkish legal process without relocating to Turkey.

A foreign patient may appoint a Turkish lawyer through an appropriately issued power of attorney.

Depending on the country, this may generally involve:

• a Turkish consulate; or
• local notarisation followed, where applicable, by apostille/legalisation and Turkish translation.

The exact formalities depend on the jurisdiction.

A Turkish lawyer may then potentially:

• request medical records;
• identify the legal healthcare entities;
• send formal notices;
• initiate mandatory mediation where required;
• negotiate with the clinic;
• submit legal claims;
• conduct litigation.

Whether the patient’s personal presence is later required depends on the proceedings.

Do I Need to Fly Back to Turkey to Start My Claim?

Normally, physical travel should not be assumed to be necessary merely to obtain legal advice or instruct counsel.

Many preparatory steps can be undertaken remotely through an authorised lawyer.

This is particularly important for injured patients who do not wish to travel immediately after a traumatic medical experience.

What Evidence Should I Collect?

If you believe plastic surgery in Turkey has gone wrong, preserve as much evidence as possible.

Important documents may include:

1. treatment contract;
2. invoice;
3. payment receipt;
4. bank transfer;
5. credit-card record;
6. medical tourism package;
7. WhatsApp messages;
8. Instagram messages;
9. emails;
10. clinic advertisements;
11. website screenshots;
12. consent forms;
13. preoperative medical records;
14. operative report;
15. anaesthesia report;
16. discharge report;
17. prescriptions;
18. photographs;
19. videos;
20. postoperative communications;
21. independent medical reports;
22. corrective-treatment invoices;
23. evidence of lost income;
24. travel expenses arising from the complication.

Evidence preservation should begin immediately.

How Long Do I Have to Sue?

There is no single limitation period for every plastic-surgery malpractice case in Turkey.

The applicable period may depend on:

• contractual classification;
• tort liability;
• consumer-law rules;
• identity of the defendant;
• whether the provider was public or private;
• whether the conduct also constitutes a criminal offence.

For example, Article 72 of the Turkish Code of Obligations provides that tort compensation claims are generally subject to two years from learning of both the damage and the liable person and, in any event, ten years from the wrongful act. Where the conduct also constitutes an offence subject to a longer criminal limitation period, that longer period may apply to the tort claim.

However, this should not be interpreted as meaning that every cosmetic-surgery patient automatically has ten years.

Contractual and other rules may differ.

Limitation should be analysed according to the precise case.

Do WhatsApp Negotiations Stop the Deadline?

Do not assume that they do.

A clinic may continue communicating for months:

“Wait for the swelling to disappear.”

“Come back after six months.”

“We will discuss revision later.”

“Do not worry, we will solve it.”

Such conversations do not necessarily protect the patient’s procedural rights.

A patient should have limitation periods analysed independently of informal negotiations.

What Should I Do Immediately After Botched Plastic Surgery in Turkey?

The first priority is health.

Seek urgent medical care where necessary.

Once the immediate medical condition is stable, a sensible evidence-preservation strategy normally includes:

1. Obtain an independent medical examination.

Do not rely solely on the opinion of the original clinic.

2. Request the complete Turkish medical file.

Do this before documents become difficult to obtain.

3. Preserve all communications.

Save WhatsApp, email, Instagram and other messages.

4. Preserve photographs.

Keep original files showing the progression of the condition.

5. Identify all companies involved.

Determine who received payment and who provided treatment.

6. Keep all financial documents.

Include invoices, bank transfers and corrective-treatment costs.

7. Do not sign a waiver without understanding it.

A document offering a refund may also contain a release of legal claims.

8. Review informed consent.

Determine whether the important risks were actually explained.

9. Determine whether complication insurance applies.

This can be important for qualifying international surgical procedures performed under the current regulatory regime.

10. Obtain legal advice before important limitation periods expire.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue a plastic surgeon in Turkey from the UK?

Potentially yes. A British patient can generally appoint a Turkish lawyer through an appropriate power-of-attorney process and does not necessarily need to travel to Turkey merely to begin the claim.

Is a bad cosmetic result automatically malpractice?

No. A poor result may support a claim, particularly in result-oriented aesthetic surgery, but causation and expert evidence remain important. The Court of Cassation’s 21 May 2026 decision confirms that the contractual significance of the aesthetic result does not mean every undesirable result automatically creates liability.

Can I claim a full refund?

Potentially, depending on the legal classification and seriousness of defective performance. Turkish Code of Obligations Article 475 provides remedies for defective works including withdrawal, price reduction, repair and damages, subject to statutory conditions.

Can I claim for revision surgery?

Potentially yes, where corrective treatment is reasonably necessary because of legally attributable defective treatment or malpractice.

Can I have revision surgery outside Turkey?

Yes. Keep detailed medical reports and invoices explaining why revision was necessary.

What if the clinic says it was a complication?

That does not automatically end the case. It remains necessary to examine informed consent, prevention, diagnosis and complication management.

What if I signed a consent form?

A signature alone does not necessarily establish fully informed consent. In a 20 May 2026 decision, the Court of Cassation upheld compensation where technical malpractice was not established but adequate informed consent had not been proved.

What if the consent form was only in Turkish?

Language and the patient’s actual understanding may become highly relevant to whether adequate information was provided.

Can I obtain my medical records?

Yes. The Patient Rights Regulation recognises the right of patients and authorised representatives to inspect and obtain copies of medical records.

Can I claim for permanent scars?

Potentially. Permanent scarring or disfigurement may be relevant to both financial and non-material compensation depending on the circumstances.

Can I claim lost salary?

Potentially, where the loss can be documented and causally linked to the injury.

Can I sue the medical tourism company?

Possibly. Its liability depends on its role, contractual obligations and involvement in arranging or providing the relevant services.

Is there compulsory insurance for cosmetic surgery patients?

The 2025 International Health Tourism Regulation requires complication insurance for qualifying surgical and interventional procedures carried out in operating-room settings within international health tourism. Whether a particular patient’s injury is insured requires examination of the applicable policy.

Conclusion: Foreign Patients Have Legal Rights After Botched Plastic Surgery in Turkey

Travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery does not mean surrendering your legal rights.

A foreign patient who undergoes plastic surgery in Turkey may have rights arising from Turkish medical law, contract law, consumer law, patient-rights legislation and international health-tourism regulations.

Potential claims may arise from:

• negligent surgery;
• defective aesthetic results;
• improper technique;
• inadequate informed consent;
• failure to disclose material risks;
• poor complication management;
• postoperative negligence;
• permanent physical injury;
• significant scarring;
• additional corrective-treatment expenses.

Cosmetic surgery is especially significant under Turkish law because the Court of Cassation has repeatedly treated certain purely aesthetic procedures as contracts for work in which the agreed result carries particular contractual importance.

At the same time, patients should avoid assuming that every disappointing result automatically proves malpractice.

The Court of Cassation’s 2026 jurisprudence confirms that causation and expert evidence remain fundamental.

Another important development concerns informed consent.

The Court of Cassation’s 20 May 2026 judgment confirms that a healthcare provider may face compensation liability where adequate informed consent cannot be established, even though technical medical malpractice itself has not been demonstrated.

For international patients, this is particularly important because many medical-tourism disputes involve language barriers, rushed consultations and consent documents signed shortly before surgery.

The regulatory landscape has also changed.

Since 26 April 2025, Turkey’s new International Health Tourism and Tourist Health Regulation has imposed additional requirements on healthcare institutions and intermediary organisations serving international patients, including authorisation standards, invoicing requirements and compulsory complication insurance for qualifying surgical procedures.

Patients who believe they have suffered botched plastic surgery in Turkey should therefore preserve evidence as early as possible.

The complete medical record, informed-consent documentation, operative report, before-and-after photographs, WhatsApp conversations, advertisements, invoices, payment records and subsequent independent medical reports may all become crucial.

Patients who have already returned to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States or another country should not automatically assume that nothing can be done.

Depending on the individual circumstances, a Turkish lawyer may evaluate the claim, request medical documentation, identify the correct doctor, clinic, hospital and intermediary company, initiate pre-litigation procedures and pursue compensation through an appropriate power of attorney.

Every cosmetic-surgery dispute is different.

The decisive legal questions will usually be:

What result was agreed?

What procedure was actually performed?

Was the treatment medically appropriate?

Was the patient adequately informed?

Did a complication occur, and if so, was it managed correctly?

What permanent damage remains?

Was corrective surgery required?

Can the damage be causally connected to the treatment?

Which doctor, hospital, clinic or medical tourism company is legally responsible?

A careful review of these questions is essential before deciding whether a compensation claim should be brought.

If you underwent cosmetic or plastic surgery in Turkey and suffered permanent injury, significant scarring, an unexpected complication or a substantially defective aesthetic result, an early legal assessment may help determine your rights and preserve important evidence before it is lost.

Legal Disclaimer

This article provides general information concerning foreign-patient rights and plastic-surgery disputes under Turkish law. It does not constitute individual legal advice.

Medical malpractice and cosmetic-surgery claims depend on the specific treatment, medical records, contractual documents, informed-consent process, expert evidence, causation, identity of the healthcare providers and applicable procedural deadlines.

Legal advice should therefore be obtained according to the circumstances of the individual case.