Breast Augmentation in Istanbul, Turkey | Implants, Cost & Recovery - Doç. Dr. Ozan Balık

Breast Augmentation (Breast Enlargement Surgery)

Breast augmentation is an operation that aims to increase the volume and improve the shape of the breasts with silicone implants or the patient’s own fat. It is considered for naturally small breasts, volume loss after childbirth, breastfeeding or weight loss, and marked differences between the two breasts. During the examination, chest structure, skin quality, any sagging and expectations are discussed; the implant type, size and placement plane (under the muscle, dual plane or under the gland) are then chosen together. If sagging is marked, a breast lift may need to be added to the augmentation.

In everyday language, breast augmentation is often called a boob job.

On entering puberty, there is an urge to hide the breasts that start to develop simply because they are growing. The constant hunched posture of that period can even lead to postural problems later in life. Somehow we even avoid calling the organ by its name and say "chest" instead of "breast". But there is one group that experiences none of this. Theirs is the story we are going to talk about now…

What Is Breast Augmentation Surgery?

First of all, we can define breast augmentation as the breast gaining visibly noticeable volume and then fitting nicely in the palm of the hand. Do you find this definition too primitive and ordinary – or is a big breast, for you, one that fills a size 90 bra?

I hope not, because that would mean a wrong bra-size calculation. I'll explain why. Frankly, we can define a large breast not scientifically but only socially – life has taught us there is no upper limit. So, to sum up, breast augmentation surgery is the process of giving presence to breasts that lack it.

What Is the Anatomy of the Breast?

The breast is an organ with an outer garment of skin and, inside, fat tissue and milk glands. On average about 20 suspensory ligaments hold the breasts up like a hanger; these are called Cooper's ligaments.

Fat tissue and milk glands can lose volume for many hormonal and metabolic reasons. The skin enveloping them cannot always adapt to these ups and downs. When that happens, sagging is added to the problem of shrinkage. For now, this little background is enough to help you understand many topics related to breast aesthetics.

Why Do Breasts Stay Small?

Of course, the story is not always as I described above. People in whom breast tissue never developed genetically make up almost half of our patient group, while the other half had breasts whose volume was lost later. So why do breasts lose volume later?

• Part or all of the breast may have been surgically removed during breast cancer treatment. Some of these cases can be corrected with a simple implant, others with special reconstruction techniques.
• The breast may shrink after breastfeeding due to atrophy of the milk glands.
• Hormone levels rise sharply during pregnancy. After birth they return to normal, but sometimes during this decline the breast tissue can become even smaller than it was before.
• Because part of the breast tissue is fat, weight loss can shrink the breasts.
• If one breast is congenitally larger, symmetry can be achieved by augmenting the other.
• Someone who has had breast implants before and now wants larger breasts can also be considered for repeat augmentation.

Whatever the reason, we are faced with a breast that has either always been small or has become smaller, and we need to enlarge it. I can almost hear you asking how :) By filling it, of course. But with what? That's a good question. I want to skip methods such as medications or hormonal treatments and compare the much more sensible surgical options.

In theory, you can have breast augmentation in three basic ways: with synthetic fillers, with your own fat, and with breast implants (i.e. silicone implants).

When Is Breast Augmentation Performed?

Breast augmentation can be considered for anyone whose breast tissue – that is, volume – is insufficient for the reasons listed above. If you feel you cannot fully express your femininity and you see that the issue is related to breast size, this operation is suitable for you. In my opinion, trying to dress this up as a medical story is wrong.

The breast is not just an organ for feeding milk. It is also a sexual organ – perhaps even a sexual organ first. Because among all the applications to my clinic, not a single female patient has yet come to me saying "I can't produce enough milk", but believe me, even I couldn't count the applications made for a sexy breast.

Who Should Have Breast Augmentation?

Breast augmentation can be considered for women who feel their breasts are small, whose breast development is complete, whose general health is suitable for surgery and who have realistic expectations. If I think the desired size is too large, that is just my personal opinion and aesthetic perception. Of course my personal opinion is shaped by my aesthetic perception and guides how I do my work, but there are very few scientific details or case examples that would let us call a person's expectations wrong. Naturally, we share these details with our patients when the time comes.

What Is Non-Surgical Breast Augmentation?

Non-surgical breast augmentation usually refers to procedures performed in a clinic without entering the operating room, enlarging the breast by injecting synthetic fillers. Even non-surgeons can perform it. Sounds very nice, doesn't it? Various types of filler have been produced for this purpose.

These are simple procedures with extremely high profit margins, but they are not right for patient health. Although it is claimed they can even be done in an office, they are not that safe or correct. If you ask my personal opinion, I do not recommend injecting synthetic breast fillers.

Many injections may be needed until the breast reaches the volume and fullness it needs. This creates a large pool of foreign material inside the breast, which increases the risk of infection. Moreover, because these filler materials are extremely fluid, it is hard for them to stay where they are wanted and planned.

Another reason it doesn't make sense is that it can cost far more than implants. Say you had it done – within a few years the body will break it down anyway and you'll be back to square one. There is another filler material that can stay in the body for about nine years; if that is the filler you had, it carries a much greater infection risk.

Now you might say, "a breast implant is a foreign body too – it can get infected as well." Quite right, that possibility exists. But if such a problem occurs, you can remove the implant. And the likelihood is much lower. If you face infection with a filler, what will you do? Believe me, cleaning an infected filler spread throughout the breast is not easy at all.

What Is the Breast Augmentation Process Like?

• The first stage is, of course, the decision. If you decide to have the operation after our consultation at the clinic, we need to set a date for surgery. We make your decision easier with before-and-after photos of patients who have given their permission.

• As with every aesthetic surgery, taking photographs before this operation is an unavoidable ritual. Your photos are safe with us in encrypted vaults and drives.

• Our silicone breast augmentation prices have of course been updated for 2026, as every year. Planning is done in advance so that the financial side is not carried into the day of surgery.

• After all the planning, we see you off until the morning of the operation.
• We review photos you like – if possible, nude body photos. This shows us which body/breast proportion you like. I even tell my patients to show me those breast photos they liked again on the day of surgery.
• Unless there is a special situation at the hospital, you are admitted early in the morning, some blood tests are done and you are prepared for anaesthesia.
• Then we take you to the operating room for our operation, which lasts about 45 minutes. At this stage a sedative is given so that the process is more pleasant from your point of view too.

Enlarging the Breast with Fat Injection

In recent years, breast filling with your own fat has come up very often. I definitely do not recommend this procedure either; here are the reasons. First, the injected fat will dissolve to a certain extent. This dissolution may not be even, which can cause asymmetry in your breasts. Let's say we accept that; second, with large-volume injections more of the fat dissolves (central necrosis), and you also increase the risk of infection. But the third and more important point with fat injection is microcalcifications.

Microcalcification is the formation of small crystals when calcium attaches to broken-down parts of the injected fat. This is actually a natural physiopathological process. So what happens? Even many experienced radiologists confuse these calcifications with cancerous tissue.

At your first mammogram, they will plant the worry of cancer in your mind. After all, the radiologist doesn't want to take risks and, on seeing microcalcifications, will rightly put you in the risk group. Unfortunately, nothing but a biopsy can reassure you. There is an even bigger problem with fat injection into the breast.

What if your breast contains a cancer cell that would never have activated in your lifetime (pre-cancerous cells), and the fat tissue we inject comes into contact with that cell and wakes it up? What if it triggers breast cancer? No one has yet come forward with a scientific basis that can definitively rule out this hypothesis of mine. If any of you can, please enlighten me.

In the end, to enlarge your breasts healthily, we are left with the only thing that can do the job properly: the breast implant – that is, the silicone implant.

What Is a Breast Silicone Implant?

These are implants placed inside the breast to add volume and create the desired ideal form. We shouldn't just say "implant" and move on. There are many types: textured, smooth, anatomical (teardrop), double-cohesive, round… There are a lot of options. So which will you choose? The truth is: don't make this choice yourself. Just describe to your doctor what kind of breast you want.

Your doctor will choose the implant that both matches the breast you imagine and is most compatible with your anatomy. When you wear a low neckline, do you want the area from your collarbones (clavicles) to your nipples to be slightly rounded, less pronounced, or to slope down to your nipples quite gently?

If you want a pronounced cleavage, your implant will be round. Don't imagine a round implant as something like a ball. The second description is achieved with an anatomical (teardrop) implant. Patients who see anatomical and round implants side by side in my office say they never imagined them like this. Please don't strain your imagination on surgical matters. We do it for you.

Types of Implants (Silicone) Used in Breast Augmentation

By filling material

• Silicone-filled
• Saline (salt water)-filled
• Soybean oil-filled (no longer produced)
• Empty but inflatable later
• Extra-light, with air-porous content

By shell structure

• Smooth: the surface is completely smooth. The risk of capsule formation is higher.
• Textured: has a specialised surface designed to prevent capsule formation.
• Micro-textured: a relatively new technology with a smaller texture diameter.
• Teflon-coated: designed to eliminate the risk of capsule formation.
• Polyurethane-coated

By projection

• Ultra High Profile
• High Profile
• Medium Profile
• Low Profile

By density

• Grade 1 silicone: soft gel
• Grade 2 silicone: medium-firm gel
• Grade 3 silicone: firm gel
• Double-cohesive silicone: some parts have firmer gel, some softer.

By shape

• Round: the upper and lower poles form an equal oval. But this does not mean it will look like an orange on the breast. We choose these for every patient who wants a full cleavage.
• Anatomical: also known as the teardrop implant. The upper part of the implant is flatter and the lower part fuller.

Are you still sure you want to choose your implant yourself?

What Does FDA Approval Mean for Silicone Implants?

The FDA is the institution acting as the food and drug authority in the USA and represents American standards. For a product to receive FDA approval, it must be offered for sale in the USA.

If a product will not be sold in the USA, no FDA evaluation is carried out at all. So a product not having FDA approval simply because it isn't sold in America does not mean it is unreliable. Still, when we perform a surgery so dependent on the product, we too take comfort in the reassuring shadow of FDA approval and try to choose our silicone implants accordingly.

In short, I want you to know that at our clinic you have breast augmentation with implants of very high safety standards and that you receive international warranty certificates at the end of the operation.

What Should I Pay Attention to After Breast Augmentation?

• We'll ask you to wear a special bra for about two months.
• You'll use an elastic strap we call a breast band for two weeks.
• Your incisions will be covered with a special tape, so you won't need dressings.
• When you add volume where there was none, the tissues stretch a little, creating a tight feeling mixed with some pain. The trick is: the more you relax, the faster this feeling disappears and you feel comfortable.
• I don't want you to put pressure on the implants by turning side to side while sleeping. The earliest time to sleep on your side is 3–4 months.
• After seeing you on the 1st, 3rd, 10th and 21st day after surgery, I'll keep seeing you at longer intervals depending on how your breasts are doing.
• Keep the silicone implant ID card and warranty certificates given to you after surgery.

Is the Implant Noticeable After Breast Augmentation?

I've mentioned many technical details about breast augmentation above. Among them, I said that we place the implant in a dual plane (under the muscle and the muscle fascia).

This plane is what keeps the implant in your breast from being noticeable. That way your breasts will always look natural.

What Size Will I Be After Breast Augmentation?

Our most frequently asked and famous question… In this operation only your breasts will grow; the circumference of your chest wall or the width of your skeleton won't change. The answer usually doesn't sound very impressive to patients at first, because to speak the same language we first need to talk about bra sizes.

There's a concept called "cup size" that every woman is familiar with – the dome volume of the breast.

For example, in a bra described as 85B, "B" is your cup size, and that's what this operation enlarges – it becomes C, D and so on. 85 shows the circumference of your rib cage and is measured just under the breast – yes, where you do the pencil test.

If you don't do this calculation and work out your correct size, you'll keep seeing different sizes depending on where you buy your bra. I always tell my patients: before surgery, show me a few body pictures you like. Note: not just breasts.

What matters here is the proportion of the breast you like to the body. The height, chest wall and shoulder width of the woman in that picture are important. Rather than how many cc implants or which cup size you want, it's more important for me to understand which breast/body proportion you like.

What Awaits Me During and After Surgery?

Your operation will take about 45 minutes and will be performed in hospital under general anaesthesia. I usually don't use drains. You'll wake up with a firm dressing, and you'll generally need to use an elastic band wrapped like a belt under your arms for about 2 weeks.

There will be a skin-coloured tape over the stitches; you don't need to do any dressings during this time, and because dissolvable stitches are used, they don't need to be removed. You can swim in the sea 4 weeks after surgery. Pain is minimal with this operation, and you can return to social life right away.

Will I Need to Massage After Breast Augmentation?

Depending on the plane and shape of the implant, we will ask you to massage after breast augmentation to prevent capsule formation.

We used to start our patients on these massages very early, but current knowledge recommends starting a little later. The reason is to prevent silicone separation from the implant, even at microscopic levels. These are updates based on very rare possibilities.

Will an Implant Fix Sagging in Small, Saggy Breasts?

Not always, of course. Imagine the breast skin as an empty pouch. The implant you put inside will stretch your skin somewhat, but remember that the implant has weight, and gravity will pull the already loose breast further down. In short, you'd end up with a pair of breasts that are larger because of the implant but saggy because of excess, loose skin.

What's the solution? Combining your augmentation with the breast-lift (mastopexy) technique that suits you. Of course, depending on the technique chosen, there will be an additional incision and a corresponding scar on your breast.

This incision is usually a single line running from the coloured part of the breast (areola) to the fold beneath the breast (vertical scar); in very saggy breasts it is an inverted T. Every incision will leave a scar, of course. That doesn't matter at all. What matters is the quality of the scar and whether the breast achieves a satisfying beauty.

How Long Do Breast Implants Last?

International law refuses to guarantee silicone implants used for more than ten years. That's why the information sheet in implant boxes only gives us a ten-year warranty. In practice, however, these implants can be used for a lifetime. And you use a quality implant for a lifetime.

Only, in line with FDA recommendations, patients with breast implants are advised to have an annual ultrasound after surgery to check whether fluid has collected around the implant.

If fluid is detected, it must be proven that no silicone-related pathology has developed, and a sample must be taken for the cytology laboratory. The probability of this is very low.

Breast Augmentation Prices 2026

Because breast augmentation centres on a surgical consumable such as a silicone implant, its pricing varies accordingly. If you remember the implant types mentioned above, you'll see that there are a great many.

In practice, fewer people see and criticise your breasts than see your nose. Unfortunately, making a price-based choice in breast augmentation just because of this is a common mistake.

Rather than asking how much silicone breast augmentation costs, you should plan according to the value you place on this organ, the symbol of femininity.

Moreover, there are only two factories in the world supplying the raw material for these implants, i.e. producing silicone gel. So in 2026 our breast implant prices will again be in the hands of these two companies and the US dollar.

Especially in Istanbul, breast augmentation prices with silicone are definitely related to the votes you cast and how the country's economy is managed. Of course, patients – the end users of the service – also need to add the surgeon's experience factor on top of the pricing policies of the companies that unfortunately run the world market.

There are several packages for breast augmentation, including accommodation and transfers between hotel, hospital and airport, and prices differ. You can find out via the consultation form or our WhatsApp line.

Breast Augmentation Cost

At our clinic, breast augmentation starts from €4,500.

Please contact us for pricing.

Why Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ozan Balık?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ozan Balık is a plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon based in Istanbul. Breast surgery is one of his main areas of practice.

• Every patient is examined personally by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ozan Balık; the implant and technique are chosen according to the patient’s anatomy.
• We use Mentor breast implants.
• Follow-up continues after our patients return to their home countries.
• He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), The Rhinoplasty Society of Europe and the Turkish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (TPRECD).
• We hold the International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate of the Turkish Ministry of Health (No. ST-1352).

Is Breast Silicone Harmful to the Body?

The basic molecule of breast silicone is extremely inert. That is, it does not easily change under external factors and is extremely stable in itself. This means it will not affect the direction of any biochemical reaction in the body.

Because of this property alone, silicone has been used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries for a very long time. It has also had its place in breast augmentation since 1962.

What Should the Breast Size Be in Breast Aesthetics?

Now to the size of the implant. How big will we go? I told you a story above… I said that if a person's breasts never developed, they never went through the shy phase. Those people start experiencing that missed shyness right before breast augmentation surgery.

And they can hardly put their real breast-size expectations into words. Since I discovered this, I make an extra effort to understand our patients' real expectations when determining breast size.

I favour placing the fullest-looking implants that suit the body – ones the patient's height and shoulder proportions can carry, that don't meet in the middle and don't spill sideways towards the armpits.

Can I Breastfeed After Breast Augmentation?

Don't worry, you won't have any problems with breastfeeding.

In almost all defined surgical procedures we stay behind the milk glands and milk ducts of the breast. In other words, we protect your milk ducts. You will be able to breastfeed your child after breast augmentation.

Should My Implant Be Textured or Smooth?

Should the surface of the implants used in breast augmentation be textured or smooth? As someone who has had long experience with both groups at different times, I prefer textured ones.

Although smooth implants seem to have a small advantage in softness, in the long run they are more likely to cause capsular contracture – hardening of the breast and the implant feeling like a rock.

Moreover, when we put a smooth implant in the pocket created in the breast, the slippery effect of blood collecting in the pocket inevitably increases the risk of the implant shifting into unwanted places. With textured implants, the texturing technology must also be good, so that texture particles shed from the implant do not cause unwanted reactions from the body's immune system.

New "microtextured" implant groups, which can be called neither smooth nor textured, have also been produced, but looking at their clinical results, the risk of displacement still exists, just as with smooth implants.

Where Should We Insert Your Implant?

Another important issue in breast augmentation is where we insert the implant. A one-piece silicone implant can be placed from under the breast (inframammary), through the armpit, through the nipple (periareolar), or from beneath the abdominal tissue during a tummy tuck.

We have the experience to insert your implant from any of these places you want. Comparing the pros and cons, my recommendation is to insert it from under the breast.

It has advantages such as less pain, faster wound healing, comfort, safety and preservation of nipple sensation. We can discuss this and decide together when you come to the clinic for your examination.

There is another type of implant – inflatable – that can be inserted through the navel and reach the breast (implants inflated with saline).

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Word on Breast Augmentation

And so to the final word…

When it comes to breast augmentation, my final word to you is neither about the nature of this operation nor its technique. My final word is about feeling full of confidence and being a woman.

In this one life of ours, we are talking about reviving an organ that has been deformed or never existed, and kneading it again with oestrogen. Your whole world can change with a half-hour operation – half on your right side, the other half on your left.

So let's do your breast augmentation…

---

Information for International Patients

Breast Implant Surgery or Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

Breast implants are silicone-shelled prostheses used both to enlarge the breasts for cosmetic reasons and to rebuild the breast after a mastectomy in breast cancer treatment. There are various types of these prostheses, which may be different types according to their content, they may be different types according to their structure. The invariable part of these silicone prostheses are their outer layers, silicone envelope layers. It can have silicone gel in it, or it can be medicinal water, which we call serum physiology.

One of the biggest reasons why fat injection into the breast receives so much attention is that our own natural tissue is at the beginning. As with breast prostheses, the fact that a foreign object will be placed on the body creates a prejudice and reservation against breast augmentation surgeries with prosthesis in some women.

Despite all the successful results and patient satisfaction, there is a group of patients who cannot get rid of their fear of breast augmentation surgery with breast prosthesis. Stem cell and fat studies conducted in the last 10-20 years have once again shown how valuable adipose tissue is actually in Plastic Surgery. The discovery that it is a biological ore with the rich stem cell content contained in the fat tissue, which used to be seen as excess in the body and discarded, has led to a breakthrough in aesthetic surgery.

Breast Augmentation With Fat Transfer

Recently, breast augmentation with fat transfer is mentioned more and more. I strongly oppose this procedure. The transferred fat will dissolve in time, and this dissolvement might not be even.

Let’s say we ignored this part. But with high volumes of fat transfer, the percentage of dissolvement is higher, and the risk of infections are heightened. But the most important aspect of fat transfers is microcalcifications. Microcalcification is the crystallization of injected fat particles by calcium reactions. This is in fact a natural physiopathological process. But what does this all mean?

Most of these calcifications are miss diagnosed as cancer tissue by even the most experienced radiologist. This will cause you to be suspicious about cancer from the first mammography. Also because they don’t want to take risks with such an issue, the radiologist will immediately put you in the risk category too. Outside of biopsy, nothing will eradicate this suspicion.

There’s still another great risk with breast fat transfer. If there is a cancerous on your breast that won’t activate in your lifetime, this new transfer of fat might activate that .

What if your breast cancer gets triggered by this fat transfer? So far, noone with scientific credentials has come up with a counter argument to this hypothesis. If you can, please enlighten me.

At the end, the only healthy option left for this operation is breast implants.

Breast Augmentation Packages and Pricing 2026

Breast augmentation surgery is a very common type of surgery. Before surgery, you are ready, when you decide to have this surgery for the right reasons and you do enough research, you can learn breast augmentation prices 2026 in Turkey after your doctor exams.

Breast augmentation prices vary depending on the material used the surgeon’s experience and the clinic. As Istanbul is the center of these surgical surgeries, breast augmentation prices in Istanbul are much more affordable. Before the breast augmentation, the doctor and the patient who will perform the operation should plan the surgery together.

Breast Augmentation Package in Turkey

If you’re considering breast augmentation surgery but don’t want to spend the money or pay out of pocket, Turkey can be a great place to go. Not too far and very convenient! If you’ve never been abroad before, this is a great opportunity to visit another country while meeting your aesthetic needs. There are many things to see and do in Turkey; you can have an amazing experience like in any country in Europe.

What Is Included in Your Treatment Plan?

Which services are part of your plan (for example hospital stay, transfers, accommodation and follow-up appointments) is explained in detail after your free consultation.

Medically reviewed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ozan Balık. Last updated: 31 October 2026