Breast reconstruction in Turkey: rebuilding the breast after mastectomy in Istanbul

Why patients choose Turkey for breast reconstruction

After mastectomy, many women want to restore the shape of the breast. At home, waiting times can be long, or reconstruction with your own tissue using microsurgery may be hard to access. Patients from Bulgaria and Europe consider Istanbul because of:

• Large accredited private hospital groups with plastic and reconstructive surgery, cancer centres, intensive care and the facilities for long microsurgical operations.
• Experienced reconstructive surgeons who also perform complex reconstruction with your own tissue.
• Short waiting times once your records have been reviewed.
• Easy travel – direct flights from Sofia and Varna and many European cities.
• Coordination – an interpreter and coordinator throughout your stay.

Our general guide to breast reconstruction after mastectomy explains the methods in more depth, and breast cancer covers the disease itself.

When can reconstruction be done?

Immediate reconstruction is carried out in the same operation as the mastectomy. It saves one anaesthetic and preserves the breast skin, but it needs close teamwork between the cancer surgeon and the plastic surgeon, so it is usually done where the cancer is being treated.

Delayed reconstruction takes place after cancer treatment is complete – usually several months after the last chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This is the most common situation for women travelling to Turkey: the mastectomy was done at home and reconstruction is planned afterwards.

Reconstruction is also discussed after risk-reducing mastectomy for a high inherited risk, such as a BRCA mutation. Timing should always be agreed with your oncologist, taking into account your stage and planned treatment.

Reconstruction methods

Final stages can include nipple and areola reconstruction and surgery on the other breast for symmetry. The surgeon recommends a method after examining you, taking into account your build, previous surgery, radiotherapy, smoking and expectations.

How to choose a surgeon and hospital

Ask before you commit:

• What is the surgeon’s experience in post-mastectomy reconstruction and microsurgery?
• Which methods suit me, which do not, and why?
• How many stages and trips are likely to be needed?
• Does the hospital have intensive care and a team that monitors the flap during the first days?
• How will the surgeon coordinate with my oncologist, and who will see me at home?

You can read the profiles of our doctors and the information on the partner hospitals. For example, Op. Dr. Fatih Kılıç is a plastic, oncological and reconstructive surgeon with more than 12 years of experience. His main fields are microsurgery and complex reconstruction, including breast reconstruction after mastectomy, and he operates in partner hospitals licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Health, with an anaesthetist present.

Documents to prepare: the histology report, the mastectomy operation note, summaries of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a recent mammogram or ultrasound of the other breast, a list of medicines (including hormone therapy) and photographs if the surgeon requests them through a secure channel.

Preparing for surgery

A few things improve both safety and the result:

• Smoking. Stop at least several weeks before surgery – nicotine narrows blood vessels and raises the risk of flap loss and wound problems.
• Weight and long-term conditions. A stable weight and well-controlled diabetes and blood pressure reduce complications.
• Medicines. Discuss hormone therapy, blood thinners and supplements with your oncologist and surgeon – some are paused for a time.
• Companion and rest. Travel with someone close to you and plan several weeks without heavy work after you get home.
• Emotional support. Realistic expectations matter: a reconstructed breast restores shape, but sensation is usually reduced.

The process step by step

1. Agreement with your oncologist. Your oncologist confirms that reconstruction is safe and when it can be done.
2. Records review. You share your medical records securely and the surgeon assesses which methods are possible.
3. Written plan. It covers the method, stages, hospital, surgeon, length of stay and follow-up. With New City Clinic the consultation is free and the plan is usually ready within 24 hours.
4. Travel and admission. Airport pick-up, hotel, tests and an anaesthetic review.
5. Surgery and hospital stay. A short stay for implants; several days with careful flap monitoring after microsurgery.
6. Recovery in Istanbul. Wound and drain checks; the surgeon decides when you can fly. Stays are usually longer after microsurgery.
7. Later stages. Refinements, symmetry surgery and nipple reconstruction usually follow after several months.

New City Clinic arranges the surgeon, hospital, hotel, transfers and interpreter – see Treatment in Türkiye for details.

Recovery at home

In the first weeks you wear a support bra and avoid heavy lifting and straining your arms. After an abdominal flap there is also an abdominal wound that needs protecting. Most women return to light work after a few weeks, while full recovery takes months.

• Continue cancer follow-up and any hormone therapy – reconstruction does not replace them.
• The reconstructed breast is usually monitored clinically and with imaging as your oncologist advises.
• For rehabilitation, lymphoedema and emotional recovery, read life after breast cancer.

Risks and when to see a doctor

Possible complications include infection, bleeding, fluid collection (seroma), slow wound healing, partial or complete flap loss, capsular contracture or implant displacement, asymmetry and abdominal wall weakness after an abdominal flap. Smoking, obesity and radiotherapy all increase the risk.

See a doctor promptly if you develop a fever, redness, severe pain or swelling, discharge from a wound, or a change in colour or temperature of the reconstructed breast. A swollen calf, breathlessness or chest pain needs emergency care – call 112.

Insurance, paperwork and cancer follow-up

Ask your national insurer – НЗОК in Bulgaria – whether treatment abroad can be reimbursed under the S2 route or the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive 2011/24/EU. Turkey is not an EU member, so these rules usually do not apply directly. Request a discharge summary in English describing the operation and, for implants, the implant card. Give copies to your oncologist and GP so your records are complete. If you are unsure about the plan, a second opinion before deciding is worthwhile.