How the online consultation works for international patients

Why the process starts online

When you live abroad, travelling for an aesthetic treatment involves time off work, flights and accommodation. It makes sense to know, before any of that is booked, whether the treatment you have in mind is realistic for you and how it would fit into a trip. The online consultation exists for exactly that. It is not a sales call and it does not commit you to anything; its purpose is to give you enough information to decide whether travelling is worthwhile.

How the consultation is arranged

You can make first contact through the contact page or by message. Let us know your preferred language at this stage: multilingual communication and, where needed, interpreter support are part of the international patient service, so the consultation can be planned in a way you fully understand. The consultation itself is usually held by video call; for some questions, written messages and photos are enough as a first step.

What to prepare beforehand

A little preparation makes the conversation far more useful. Before the call, it helps to gather the following:

• Photos: clear, recent images taken in daylight without make-up or filters, from the front and from both sides. If your concern relates to expression lines, a photo while frowning or smiling can help.
• Medical history: known conditions, allergies, any history of cold sores, and whether you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy.
• Medications and supplements: everything you take regularly, especially blood thinners, and supplements that may increase bruising, such as fish oil, vitamin E or ginkgo.
• Previous treatments: any fillers, botulinum toxin or other aesthetic procedures, with approximate dates and, if you know it, the product used.
• Your goals and constraints: what bothers you, what you would like to change, and the dates you are able to travel.

What can — and cannot — be decided remotely

An online consultation is genuinely useful, but it has limits, and it is better to be clear about them from the start.

What can usually be discussed online

• Which treatments may be worth considering for your concern, and which are unlikely to be suitable
• Whether a plan is likely to need one session or several, and roughly how far apart
• How long you may need to stay in Istanbul, and how this fits around your flights
• General preparation before the trip, and what follow-up after you return would look like

What is decided only in person

• The final choice of treatment, product, areas and amount
• Whether treatment is appropriate on the day — an active skin infection, a cold sore or a fever, for example, may mean postponing
• Informed consent, after risks, expected course and possible side effects have been explained in a language you understand

Photos can be misleading: lighting, angle and camera lenses change how volume and skin texture appear. That is why any plan discussed online is treated as provisional and is confirmed, adjusted or occasionally changed after the in-person examination. Sometimes the most honest outcome of a consultation is that a treatment is not recommended, or that a different approach would make more sense.

After the consultation: next steps

If you decide to go ahead, the next step is planning dates. Appointments are coordinated around your travel, so the examination, treatment and any in-person check fall within your stay. Depending on your needs, the team can then help with airport transfer, local transport between your accommodation and the appointment, accommodation assistance and interpreter support. You will also receive pre-treatment guidance — practical points for the days before you travel. These services are described on the international patients page, and our guide on what to do before you travel covers preparation in more detail.

For treatments with a short, predictable course — such as botulinum toxin for expression lines — a single visit is often enough, with the review at around two weeks frequently done remotely using photos or a video call. Skin-quality plans that involve several sessions need more thought about timing, which we discuss in how long to stay in Istanbul.

Staying in touch after you return home

The online channel stays open after treatment. Follow-up checks can be arranged by photo or video call at agreed points, and you can ask questions as they come up during recovery. If you notice anything unexpected — particularly severe or increasing pain, skin colour changes or signs of infection after a filler — contact your physician without delay and, if needed, seek care at a local medical facility.