My Review of Comfort Zone Cosmetic Surgery - Istanbul, Turkey

Where you will stay

Organisation:
Comfort Zone Cosmetic Surgery is run by Engin Yesilmak, a Turkish gentleman who spent many years in the UK and so speaks fluent English.  He set up the clinic and offers many different types of cosmetic surgeries for both men and women.  Patients there are housed in a large modern house which is divided into many rooms and patients all have their own room and they may bring a family member or a friend should they wish to do so.
Engin is a charming man with a ready smile and enjoys a good laugh and will instantly make you feel that you have known him for years and are comfortable in his company.
I was extremely pleased with the efficiency of communication, Engin always answered emails or telephone calls extremely promptly, often within a few minutes of sending him your enquiry.
The Patient Care Co-ordinator is the lovely Clare, who is English and will help you with your stay in Turkey.  She is extremely caring and will make you feel at home in the house and will make every effort to get anything that you want.
The lady who will prepare all your meals during your stay is the effervescent Allah, a Ukrainian lady who can only speak a little English, but it amazing how we managed to understand one another (most of the time).  Allah also cleans your room on a daily basis and will do any washing that you might require doing during your stay.
The house is situated on the western outskirts of Istanbul) in a village called Göktürk - so try to fly to Atatürk airport if you can rather than Sabiha Gokcen Airport as it will make your transit times between the airport and the house far less.  The only problem that I had was the journey time on occasions to the clinics to where they will perform your surgeries - but the accent is on a peaceful recuperation and rest - so there are reasons why it is located away from the bustle and noise of central Istanbul.

The clinics where you have your surgeries:

The transplant team

The clinic where I had my hair transplants is a small clinic in the centre of Istanbul.  The doctor speaks reasonable English and was a lovely lady.  She is ably assisted by a team of three other ladies who help with preparing the grafts ready for replantation into the thinning areas.  The whole technique was absolutely pain free, even though you are awake throughout the long procedure.  They use the most up to date FUE method of transplantation.  I thought is was extremely comical when we all took a break for lunch in the middle of the proceedings.  There were no complications and I returned a few days after for a post operative examination and to have my hair washed and given instructions on how to treat it prior to washing.  All the medications were included in the cost.  Your head does look a mess for about a week until the scabs start to loosen and then washed away.
The clinic where I had my abdominoplasty and labiaplasty was the very new and luxurious Estethica Clinic/Hospital on the Asian side of Istanbul.  The surgeons spoke reasonable English (especially the abdominoplasty surgeon) and although the nursing staff did not speak English, I could not fault the care and attention that I received (unlike in Peru).  They were always there instantly if I rang my buzzer for anything and during the night when they had to apply ice packs to my labia every hour or two they were very gentle and considerate.


Results of the surgeries:
For the hair transplant, it is way too early to be able to judge the final outcome as the transplanted hair will go into telogen about 4 to 6 weeks post transplantation and fall out.  The transplanted follicles will then hopefully start to grow new hairs about 2 to 4 months later, so it will be around 6 months before I can judge the overall success of this procedure, but I am hopeful that it will be successful.
For the abdominoplasty I can already see a very much improved tummy (which is now flat and what it used to be like in my late 20's/early 30's) and the waistline is much improved.  I now have a definite 'shape' rather than the straight up and down shape that I had previously.  This is set to improve over the next 6 to 8 weeks once all the remaining swelling has subsided.  Also see here for picture
For the labiaplasty, I wasn't too sure at first as the area was covered in tape and swabs and was quite swollen at first.  Today I managed to get a closer look when I was in the bath and the swelling has gone down and from what I can see (there are still plasters in place) the surgeon has improved the appearance of the labia considerably.

Overall impressions and recommendation:
I was extremely impressed with Comfort Zone as an organisation, the care of all the people at the house, the cleanliness and comfort of the surgical clinics.  The attitude of the surgeons and the nursing staff was exceptional.  To be honest, my experience here was far more pleasurable than the treatment/accommodation/length of time that I had to be there that I experienced in Peru.  The nursing staff in Peru were rather aloof and if you rang the buzzer in the night, it could be ages before anybody actually came in to see you.
Would I recommend this clinic to my best friend if she wanted any cosmetic procedures carried out:   
Yes, absolutely without a moments hesitation