HYDERABAD: Back from a trip to Turkey, many Hyderabadis are heading straight for the clinics of skin specialists. Reason? To get their botched up cosmetic procedures corrected.City doctors, who TOI spoke to, said they are witnessing a sharp spike in ‘revision cases’ after hair transplants, facelifts, rhinoplasty, and tummy tucks performed abroad-especially in Turkey-went awry.
Post-Covid, Turkey has turned into a destination for affordable aesthetic treatments, offering cosmetic packages to attract patients from India, say city doctors. According to them, those who earlier flew out to the US and Europe for such procedures and coughed up anywhere between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 15 lakh (or more), are now turning towards Turkey as the same is available there for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh there.Though the rate-card in India is almost similar — between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh — it’s the lure of a holiday-cum-treatment package that’s taking many to Turkey, they add.But the result, doctors say, isn’t always pretty.“A 33-year-old man from Gachibowli came to us after a hair transplant in Istanbul led to a severe infection and graft loss,” said Dr Rajetha Damisetty, a dermatologist from Hyderabad who has attended to at least three such cases in recent times.In another case, a 49-year-old Hyderabad woman who travelled to Turkey for an eyebrow and cheek lift ended up with facial asymmetry and a scalp infection, caused by a forgotten stitch, causing longterm trauma,” said Dr D Akshita Rao, a plastic surgeon in Hyderabad who subsequently treated the patient.Lack of regulationDr Kiran Banda, consultant plastic surgeon at a private hospital in Hyderabad, claims it’s the lack of regulation that leads to many Turkish clinics botching up procedures. “They are often performed by underqualified technicians rather than certified doctors,” he alleged. Many patients also report poor post-surgery care.Social media glamour is driving demand, some feel. “Influencer posts showcasing dramatic before-after results from Turkey make it seem easy. But we rarely hear about the complications,” said Dr Damisetty advising Indians to prioritise quality and safety over price and trend.
