FAQs

Physical Consultation

What should I bring with me when I come for a scheduled office appointment?

Apart from medicare and your insurance information

Passport
Insurance information
Referral Letter (if required)
Copies of results, x-rays, MRI's. CT scans etc and any other relevant information
List of medications (if any)

Are my medical records kept private and confidential?

Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. Our staff are bound by strict confidentiality requirements as a condition of employment regarding your medical records. Ordinarily we will not release the contents of your medical file without your consent.

How can my family doctor help me to obtain specialist medical care?

Before seeing any medical specialist, it is always preferable to talk to your own family doctor, who can discuss your condition with you and advise on whether any specialist care is appropriate. If it is, he or she can help you to choose the specialist best suited to your needs. Your family doctor can help the specialist to care for you better by providing relevant information about your health. Communicating with the specialist will also enable your family doctor to care for you better during and after your specialist treatment.

What should I expect during first visit?

During your initial visit, the doctor will explain the specific test or procedure you want, help you visualize the results and go over the risks. He may do a physical examination and ask you a bunch of questions. Once you go and have the test done then he will decide what your diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

The key guidelines for plastic surgery travelers

What is the surgeon's training?

A gynecologist performing a breast augmentation or a dermatologist doing a face lift are not an appropriate choices.

The role of HARMONIA starts at this step to find the best surgeons in their specialized fields of interest with credentials support their qualifications. HARMONIA checks the surgeon's credentials, memberships of associations in their specialized fields, number of cases, etc in timely manner.

Is the plastic surgeon certified?

The ISAPS website lists the names and addresses of over 1,900 certified plastic surgeons in 90 countries.

HARMONIA chooses the best Plastic Surgeons in Turkey who are also ISAPS members which means a worldwide certification.

Is the plastic surgeon’s facility certified?

Ask for certification information and who the certifying body is.

In Turkey, the certifying body is the Ministry of Health of Turkish Republic after a Plastic Surgeon receives his authorization to perform his specialty in medicine. Harmonia is top of this issue to be sure of the Professional with necessary authorizations and certifications.

Does your personal health insurance cover you outside your country?

Most health insurance providers do not cover individuals for surgery performed outside their own country. Consider obtaining International Medical Coverage that may be available through your insurance agent.

HARMONIA works with Patients to find out the insurance coverages and be in touch with your insurance company for the availability of your coverage for network hospitals or clinic when needed.

What about aftercare?

Patients should stay in the area where the surgery was performed for at least one week, depending on the procedure. Find out in advance where you will stay and if this facility is prepared to care for your post operative needs.

HARMONIA provides the best hospitals in Turkey with a minimum accreditation of ISO 9000 (JCI accreditation would be a plus for most of the hospitals in our network).

All the surgical operations are performed in fully equipped and accreditted hospitals with 5* hotel comfort as as a plus benefit.

As having a Plastic Surgeon in the Board of Directors of HARMONIA, we are fully aware of the importance of "aftercare" and we provide the best service standards in our network hospitals by monitoring the facilities periodically and having feedbacks from our patients.

As an additional asset, HARMONIA employed a Secure & Private Patient Communication System for especially post operative care of Patients after returning home. The system provides ease of communication and sharing information between Patients and assigned Surgeons.

What about complications?

What doctor will care for you at home if you have complications and who will pay for secondary or revision procedures?

HARMONIA brings the best quality aftercare service with the Harmonia Patient Communication System used by Patients and assigned Surgeons in Turkey. The system also accepts family doctors or any specialist Patient would like to have aftercare in home country if needed who may also in contact with the Surgeon.

In case of complication, HARMONA works with Plastic Surgeons having SURGERY SHIELD, an ISAPS Insurance for covering complications of ISAPS member Plastic Surgeons. Although the policy is in the name of the surgeons, the coverage is all about patient complications. With this valuable policy on hand, our Patients would choose to have the secondary operations at homeland (as well as choosing to come to Istanbul again) by an ISAPS member Plastic Surgeon with no costs of surgery. This brings a comprehensive value to our operations in medical tourism business as we are sure that our patients will satisfy our services in all aspects.

Do the key personnel at the surgeon's office speak your language fluently?

If you cannot be easily understood, be prepared for complications.

HARMONIA prouds of bilingual staff from the Board of Directors through Patient Coordinators. HARMONIA may also provide bilingual assistants to Patients coming alone on demand.

With whom are you communicating?

You should be talking directly with the doctor's staff and the doctor. A travel agent should only make travel and accommodations arrangements.

HARMONIA is a Surgical Tourism Facilitator who specialized in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Cosmetology, Cosmetic Laser treatments, Bariatric Surgery and Aesthetic Dentistry with a Board of Directors having credentials in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Beauty Therapy with International Management Masters. HARMONIA is not a travel agent however may help Patients on accomodation and travel needs as a professional service on demand in Harmonia Packages.

Is the surgeon a member of recognized national and international societies?

ISAPS membership is by invitation and is granted to applicants only after extensive screening.

HARMONIA have an ISAPS member Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon who is the Medical Director of the company and also member of the Board of Directors.

HARMONIA established the company network of Plastic Surgeons in the best surgeons in their specialized fields of interest and ISAPS (or at same level of international association) membership is an asset.

Have you checked for references?

Ask for names and contact information of patients who have recently had a similar procedure and contact them about their experience with the surgeon, their staff, aftercare facilities and post-operative follow up.

HARMONIA monitors and reviews each and every patient testimonial of our network proffessionals, clinics and hospitals. In case of requested by our Patients, we may provide the contact details of patients who let us share such information.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Can cosmetic dental treatment help improve my unattractive smile?

Yes, cosmetic dental treatment helps to transform your smile the way you like. Your smile can be made attractive with various treatment options such as tooth whitening, bonding and veneers. Cosmetic dentistry offers a wide range of treatment options that can close the gap between your teeth, resurface the chipped, cracked or stained teeth and replace spaces created by missing teeth.

I have lost some of my teeth. Can I have a denture to replace them?

Yes, a partial denture can be used to replace your missing teeth. It helps you chew food properly, pronounce words clearly and also improve your appearance. Depending on number of teeth lost you can opt for removable or fixed partial denture.

My front teeth look smaller. How can it be corrected?

Your smaller teeth can be corrected using veneers. Veneers are thin shells made of plastic or porcelain used to cover the front teeth for cosmetic reasons. Porcelain veneers can change the shape of teeth, close the spaces between the teeth and can improve your smile and appearance.

Recently, I fell down the stairs and lost my front tooth. What would be the best option to replace it?

Dental implants can be considered as the best option because it does not take support from adjacent teeth as in dental bridges (tooth-saving). Moreover, they look more natural and function similar to your original teeth.

I have space in between my upper front teeth. What would be the solution?

Yes, the gap between your front teeth (diastema) can be closed by composite resin bonding restoration. Composite resin is soft, flexible, bonding material that can be molded to reshape the teeth and thus close the spaces.

I do not want to have silver tooth fillings. Is there any alternative?

Yes, the alternative to silver amalgam fillings are cosmetic, tooth colored, composite resin fillings. They look similar to your natural teeth and are less noticeable than silver fillings.

My teeth are stained yellow and they look unattractive. How can I improve my appearance?

Tooth staining is one of the common conditions and is caused because of age or lifestyle habits. Bleaching or tooth whitening procedure dissolves the stains and make teeth whiter without harming the tooth structure. However you may experience increased sensitivity to hot or cold foods that may be mild and last for a short time.

I am in the second trimester of my pregnancy and am thinking of teeth whitening. Is it safe?

Often, it is not recommended to have tooth whitening procedure during pregnancy. Because the effect of the products used for whitening on the developing fetus is not clearly established. So, it is always safe to get the whitening procedure after delivery.

I do not want metal braces fixed to my teeth for orthodontic treatment. Is there a cosmetic option?

Yes, tooth –colored cosmetic brackets can be used instead of the metal brackets. They provide good clinical performance as well as aesthetic appearance.

I have a chipped front tooth. What would be the better option, veneer or a crown?

Veneer would be the best option as it resurfaces the chipped tooth with minimal preparation. In contrast, during placement of crown you may lose most part of your healthy tooth. So veneer would be appropriate choice for chipped tooth.

Weight Loss Surgery

What is Obesity?

Obesity results from the excess accumulation of fat that exceeds the body's skeletal and physical standards. According to the American Obesity Association, Obesity is a disease.

What is Morbid Obesity?

Morbid Obesity is typically defined as beeing 100 lbs or more over ideal body weight, or having a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 or higher. Morbid Obesity reaches a point of significantly increasing the risk of co-Morbidities that result in either significant physical disability or even death. Morbid Obesity is a serious and chronic disease. Treatment is available, and surgery is an extremely viable option for you.

What is the cost of this operation?

Please contact us and take care to fill out the insurance coverage verification portion of the form.

Will my insurance cover this operation?

Most health insurance companies will cover most of this surgical procedure. However, there are so many plans that it is best to contact us and to schedule an appointment.

How safe is this operation?

Like every operation, there is a risk. Because our patients already have health-related problems, there is an increased risk of complications. However, our team makes sure the thoroughly screen you to make sure that there are no surprises on the operating table. If we feel that it is not safe to operate on you, we will not proceed. However we will gladly work with you in order for you to be eligible for the operation. Your team will be behind you 100% before, during, and after the surgery.

How long will I be in the hospital after surgery?

The average stay of our patients is three to four days.

When can I go back to work after the operation?

This really depends on your job. If you work in a low-impact office, you may be able to go back to work after 3 weeks. If you are a construction worker, you may be able to go back after 6 weeks. Each patient heals on their own time, so everyone will recover on their own time.

Will I still be able to get pregnant?

We strongly recommend for you to not get pregnant after your first year of the operation. Most of the excess weight is lost during this time. Your fetus' health may also be endangered.

Can I drink alcohol?

You may drink beer and other alcoholic beverages in moderation after 3 months.

What can I do about extra skin and stretch marks?

Many of our patients opt for plastic surgery, but we recommend you wait until you reach your ideal body weight before any plastic surgery.

How soon can I exercise after the operation?

We strongly recommend you exercise after your operation to help you lose the weight the fastest. Feel free to take some light, brisk walks when you return home. Most of our patients can proceed with a regular stint of exercise after 6 weeks.

Do I have to take medicine after surgery?

Your body needs to receive the proper vitamins in order to survive. We have created our own special vitamins for you to take after the operation. Your doctor will also go over with you any medicines you need to take. Most patients actually stop taking their medication from pre-surgery because they are healthy!

What kind of foods will I be able to eat and drink?

Right after the operation, we will put you on a strict menu of liquid foods. You will be on our strict diet plan while you heal. The doctor will let you know what foods you will be able to eat and when you start eating them. Most of our patients become lactose intolerant after the operation. We will work with you after the operation to change your diet and show you which foods are good for you and which are not. You will eat whatever you want, but in small portions. Even so, your appetite will feel satiated, and you will not feel hungry.

How fast will I lose the weight, and is it dangerous?

Most of the weight will be lost in the first six months. Some patients have even been able to lose weight for up to two years after the surgery. This surgery is a tool to help you lose weight, and exercise and diet will help you achieve your ideal body weight. We even have had patients reach a size zero! Losing weight this fast is not a dangerous procedure if you maintain your vitamin supplements and diet. Our team will be with you 100% to support you after the operation.

Can I get this operation reversed

This procedure is reversible if need be. But we don't think you'll need to reverse this procedure.

How about after the surgery - are there support groups?

In our local area, we have support groups set up and doctor facilitated. We have a network of support groups outside of the Southern California area. Our team is also always readily available to you with a phone call or email away!