How much does breast reconstruction in Turkey cost?
A breast reconstruction in Turkey costs from £1,800 to £6,200, depending on what is needed. In the UK, it is available free on the NHS after breast cancer, so travelling to Turkey offers no saving on the procedure itself.
| Procedure | Price in Turkey | Price in the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Breast reconstruction | £1,800 - £6,200 | Generally covered by your health system |
In the UK, breast reconstruction after cancer is part of standard NHS care. What your own cover provides in your situation is worth checking with the NHS.
What is breast reconstruction?
The most visible symbol of femininity in a woman’s body image is the breast, which is bound up with social identity and self-perception. Yet because of the most common cancer in women, the breast may be removed in part or in full depending on the stage of the disease.
Breast reconstruction in Turkey is a series of surgical procedures performed to recreate a breast. Reconstruction is usually carried out after the removal of one or both breasts as part of breast cancer treatment.
Even when cancer treatment ends successfully, changes to the breast can have a considerable effect on a person’s psychological wellbeing.
In recent years, awareness of breast cancer has risen sharply in the wider community, and demand for breast reconstruction has grown quickly with it.
When can breast reconstruction in Turkey be carried out?
- These operations in Istanbul can be performed at the same time as breast removal surgery (mastectomy). The breast volume can be recreated during that first operation, although further procedures are often needed afterwards.
- Bear in mind that reconstruction after a mastectomy is not a simple operation. Here, the doctors decide which procedure suits the individual. For that reason, reconstruction can also be delayed until adjuvant treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy have finished.
The period before surgery
- The preparation phase for this surgery in Turkey follows that of cosmetic breast surgery, but it is coordinated with the team treating the cancer.
- A thorough examination of the breast is needed before the operation. The doctor must be told in detail about all previous procedures.
- Certain routine blood tests must be carried out before the operation and reviewed by the anaesthetist.
- The anaesthetist may request additional tests during the assessment, and these must be done before the operation.
- Breast repair operations after breast cancer vary according to the type of cancer and how much tissue was removed from the breast.
Breast reconstruction surgery after breast cancer
- The first situation is partial removal of the breast, where only the cancerous area has been taken away: fat or filler injections can then fill the hollow left in that area. If the breast is still large enough after the breast tissue has been removed, balance can be achieved by reducing the other breast.
- Where breast tissue is removed but the skin of the breast and the tip of the nipple are left in place, the breast can be reconstructed directly with an implant.
- The third situation is a full mastectomy, in which breast tissue, skin and nipple are all removed. In this case the breast skin has to be expanded. A tissue expander is used for this, a temporary implant gradually inflated to stretch the remaining skin. Once the skin is stretched enough, the expander is removed and replaced with the permanent implant in a second operation.
- There are also permanent expandable implants, inflated to the volume of the other breast and then left in place.
What is flap breast reconstruction?
This reconstructive surgery uses the patient’s own tissue, taken from the abdomen (DIEP, TRAM flaps) or the back (latissimus dorsi). At two years of follow-up, failure affects 1.3% of DIEP flaps against 7.1% of implants, but DIEP carries more complications[1].
Nipple repair in Turkey
Reconstruction of the nipple and areola is a final step that improves the appearance of the breast after a mastectomy and helps patients feel better.
Nipple aesthetics is a small surgical procedure in Turkey that can be carried out under local or general anaesthetic.
Once the breast volume has been reconstructed, the planned nipple aesthetics can be created from breast tissue or from the breast skin being expanded when all the tissue has been removed.
However, since nipple repair is made from breast skin, the nipple and areola will not be in their previous pigmented state but will take on the colour of the skin.
In that case, medical tattooing of the areola, or micropigmentation, carried out as a separate step, brings its shade closer to that of the other breast[2]. Breast reconstruction in Turkey can be considered by women who have lost a breast to cancer, after the advice of the team treating them.
Planning the operation
Reconstruction can be considered after a cancer diagnosis. After the surgery and cancer treatment have been assessed, the plastic surgeon will decide on the reconstruction process that suits the individual at the consultation.
Breast reconstruction after a mastectomy aims to improve body image and wellbeing, with no guarantee of result. The reconstruction process can be carried out during breast removal, and if it is not considered appropriate, it is planned for a certain period after surgery.
Follow-up after breast reconstruction
- The painful post-operative period varies according to the surgical technique.
- Fat or filler injections can be carried out under local or general anaesthetic in a very short session. This process does not require a hospital stay; the patient can go home the same day.
- A hospital stay is also needed, and is longer after flap reconstruction than after implant placement. Drains will be in place to prevent blood collecting inside the surgical site. They are removed at the Turkish surgeon’s decision, once the discharge decreases.
- Reconstruction does not restore normal sensation in the breasts; some sensation may, however, return over time.
- Most marks can fade with time. This can, however, take several months or longer.
FAQ - Frequently asked questions
What does breast reconstruction in Turkey, and in the UK, cost?
In Turkey, breast reconstruction costs from £1,800 to £6,200. In the UK, it is part of standard NHS care after breast cancer[2][3]. To prepare for the trip, read the guide to medical tourism in Turkey.
How many operations should be expected for breast reconstruction?
Often several. Across 11 North American centres, a patient without complications underwent on average more than two procedures, and 40.2% had an elective revision. The rate rises to 67.1% when there is a complication[4].
Can implant reconstruction be done after radiotherapy?
Yes, but the risk increases. Delivered to the permanent implant, radiotherapy multiplies the risk of failure by 2.52 and that of capsular contracture by 10.21 over the first five years[5]. See radiotherapy in Turkey.
What are the risks of breast reconstruction?
Among 2,343 patients followed for two years, 32.9% had a complication, 19.3% a complication requiring further surgery and 9.8% a wound infection[1]. These figures come from North American centres, not from Turkey.
Implant or flap: which technique satisfies patients most?
At two years, the BREAST-Q questionnaire gives 7.94 points more out of 100 for breast satisfaction after a flap than after an implant. Only 60.5% of patients responded, and the technique was not randomly assigned[6].
What follow-up is needed for breast implants used in reconstruction?
In France, the ANSM withdrew macrotextured implants and polyurethane-coated implants from the market as a precaution, without recommending their preventive removal[7]. For a justified removal, see breast implant removal.
Immediate or delayed reconstruction: which gives the better result?
Nothing is settled. A single Cochrane review study reports a good or excellent aesthetic result in 77.7% of patients with immediate reconstruction against 87% with delayed, with very low certainty[8]. Timing is decided with the breast cancer treatment team.
Sources & References
- Bennett KG, Qi J, Kim HM, Hamill JB, Pusic AL, Wilkins EG. Comparison of 2-Year Complication Rates Among Common Techniques for Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction. JAMA Surgery. 2018. View the source
- Assurance Maladie. Traitement du cancer du sein. ameli.fr. Consulté en 2026. View the source
- Haute Autorité de Santé. ALD n° 30, cancer du sein. has-sante.fr. Consulté en 2026. View the source
- Nelson JA, Voineskos SH, Qi J, Kim HM, Hamill JB, Wilkins EG, Pusic AL. Elective Revisions after Breast Reconstruction: Results from the Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2019. View the source
- Magill LJ, Robertson FP, Jell G, Mosahebi A, Keshtgar M. Determining the outcomes of post-mastectomy radiation therapy delivered to the definitive implant in patients undergoing one- and two-stage implant-based breast reconstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JPRAS. 2017. View the source
- Santosa KB, Qi J, Kim HM, Hamill JB, Wilkins EG, Pusic AL. Long-term Patient-Reported Outcomes in Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction. JAMA Surgery. 2018. View the source
- ANSM. Retrait du marché des implants mammaires macrotexturés et des implants mammaires à surface recouverte de polyuréthane. ansm.sante.fr. Consulté en 2026. View the source
- Mota BS, Bevilacqua JLB, Barrett J, Ricci MD, Munhoz AM, Filassi JR, Baracat EC, Riera R. Skin-sparing mastectomy for the treatment of breast cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2023. View the source
