Surgery abroad from West Wales: what to check before you book

For people in Pembrokeshire, the idea of cosmetic surgery overseas tends to start with a price comparison. Whether it goes well depends far more on the homework done before any money changes hands.

NHS advice on surgery abroad is to see the surgeon treating you at two consultations before the operation, rather than meeting only sales staff. Ask about their training, how long they have practised and how often they carry out your procedure.

Dr Akif Mehmetoğlu, a specialist in dermatosurgery, set up AKM Clinic in Istanbul. The clinic's nose surgery is led by Dr Göknil Gültekin, a fellow of the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery who is board-certified in ENT at European level. The third surgeon, Dr Aylin Yılmaz, specialises in breast and body surgery and has a reconstructive background.

A quote is only useful next to its inclusion list. For example, the all-inclusive deep plane facelift package is priced at £4,100 and covers the operation, a hospital night, private airport and clinic transfers, four hotel nights with breakfast, a patient consultant, and medication and garments for afterwards. Flights are booked separately. Other procedures are priced in pounds on the full price list, so compare totals, not headline figures.

From Tenby, any trip to Istanbul begins with a long drive or train ride to an airport, and the return comes when you are least fit for it. The NHS recommends not flying for seven to 10 days after facial cosmetic procedures, as air travel and major surgery both make blood clots more likely. The package covers seven nights in Istanbul, one of them in hospital, so ask your surgeon whether staying longer would be sensible.

Ask who you would contact if something went wrong after you were home in Wales, whether follow-up is remote or face to face, and how easily you could fly back if needed. The clinic describes remote check-ins once patients are back in the UK. The NHS warns that travel insurance does not normally cover surgery that goes wrong, so ask what cover the clinic holds.

Rhinoplasty usually means a general anaesthetic, and most primary operations take around three hours, according to the clinic. The risks it publishes include bleeding, infection, slow healing, visible asymmetry, breathing changes, scar issues and unhappiness with how the nose looks. Everyday activities resume after about two weeks, it says, while the final shape can keep maturing for up to 12 months, sometimes longer at the tip.

The NHS notes that two consultations allow a cooling-off period, normally two weeks in the UK. Expect the same breathing space abroad, and be wary of any offer that only works if you book this week.