Honest Review of My Rhinoplasty Experience with Cem Altindag
I’m sharing this review to help future patients make an informed decision.
Initially, everything looked professional. I booked the surgery through Bookimed, the ratings were high, and communication via Telegram (Bookimed) and WhatsApp (clinic) was smooth. However, once I arrived in Turkey, serious concerns started.
On the morning of surgery, I was taken to a hospital that had never been clearly disclosed beforehand. I had no prior information about this clinic from either Bookimed or the clinic itself, which was stressful on the surgery day.
I met the doctor for the first time just minutes before surgery. He briefly examined my nose and said, “Don’t expect an ideal result.” This was alarming, especially since I had previously been shown a 3D simulation of the expected outcome. I wasn’t expecting perfection, but I expected something close to what was presented.
The surgery process felt unsettling. I was taken to a very cold underground floor with many people around (likely interns), and I did not see the surgeon again until I was already being sedated, which caused serious anxiety.
Waking up from anesthesia was the worst sedation experience I’ve had: intense shaking, trembling, and feeling extremely cold for about 40 minutes, with no proper post-op comfort.
The swelling afterward was extreme—far worse than what I observed in other rhinoplasty patients staying at the same hotel. My face was heavily bruised and swollen.
After the casts were removed, the result was far from the 3D model. Eventually, my nose looked almost identical to how it looked before surgery. The doctor repeatedly insisted it was “just swelling” and would go away.
It didn’t.
Nearly a year later, a CT scan showed misaligned nasal bones and bone overgrowth, confirming this was a structural issue, not swelling.
Main issues:
The hospital was not clearly disclosed beforehand
Minimal pre-op communication; doctor appeared only minutes before surgery
Abnormally severe swelling
Final result: no visible improvement, and even a new hump appeared
The doctor never acknowledged responsibility and gave false reassurance
About a year later, I was offered a revision surgery for $700 (clinic fees only).
As of January 2026, over a year after surgery, my nose looks essentially the same as before (if not worse).
My surgery was performed by Dr. Cem Altindag. Based on my experience and outcome, the quality was objectively poor. I’m sharing this to help others avoid the same disappointment.
I underwent endoscopic septoplasty with Dr. Cem. The entire experience was excellent – the doctor and his team were highly professional, and I am very satisfied with the results (it has been 2.5 weeks, and everything seems great so far).
The staff were friendly and attentive, and the clinic provided a seamless service, including airport transfer, transfer to the bus station, and an additional night at the hotel.
I am grateful for their professionalism and excellent care.
Many thanks to Muhammad for his attention and care during his stay in Istanbul, he is very responsible and obligatory! I had not the easiest case, but the doctor is a real professional. Thank you Dr. Jem
I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Cem Altındağ and the entire clinic team for the rhinoseptoplasty performed. I had a complex case: consequences of an old sports injury, severe deviation. Professional approach, clear recommendations. When you consult such a physician, you immediately realize they are a master of their craft. Immense gratitude to Ceren for professional assistance. No language barriers, everything clear, to the point, and timely. She assisted with coordination at the clinic and was available 24/7. I am very grateful for such organization of the process. I recommend the clinic to all men with similar issues. Five stars without hesitation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in organising my operation. Starting with my arrival, my flight was cancelled, so I had to change my tickets and arrived very late. I wrote to my consultant Stanislav and he and the clinic reassured me, saying that they would pick me up at any time and take me to the hotel. Despite being a 4-star hotel, it is very nice and cosy, and the staff are friendly. After the operation, I stayed at the clinic overnight, as I had flown in alone and was afraid to go straight to the hotel. And that was the right decision. The medical staff were very competent, changing my dressings and performing all procedures on time. When I pressed the button, they came immediately and helped me with everything. Special thanks to my doctor, who is a true professional. I am glad that I chose him. The interpreter was very good, a pleasant and kind girl who was always on time and translated clearly. I was taken to and from the dressing and examinations on time. I am very happy with my medical trip and, of course, with the result. Thank you to everyone who was with me and to bookimed.com - you are super!
I had the operation at the beginning of August, it will soon be three months, I waited until time passed. I can say that I really liked the result of the nose surgery. Dr. Zhem Altyndag is a professional in his field, my recovery after the operation was very easy and fast, because the operation was done perfectly. I want to say a big thank you to the doctor for my beautiful nose, I hope in six months the result will improve even more. I also want to thank Bookimed and manager Tatyana for their prompt work and help, she always responded to my messages quickly and clearly.
I just recently had my nose done with dr Cem Altindag, the doctor and his attending staff- Mohammed and Jaren were great. However the nurses in the hospital were very rude and didn’t seem like they knew much of what they were doing. I had an IV inserted in 4 different spots and they could not properly put it in, I wasleft with huge bruises on my hands and wrists. The nurses did not speak English and the translator had to leave by 3 pm, leaving me for two hours with no assistance in the hospital as none of the nurses understood what I was asking. The hospital was very run down and at times which fixing my IV, they weren’t even using gloves. My nose turned out very nice, the stay at the hotel was very comfortable and breakfast was great. The hospital was the worst part of the experience, but I am satisfied with my nose and dr Cems care.
Dr Cem ALTINDAG and his Clinic is an outstanding with incredible skills and knowledge. He has provided me with a wealth of information and guidance,His explanations are always clear and concise and I feel reassured after each consultation. He takes the time to listen to my concerns and works together with me to come up with the best course of action. On top of that, he has a very calming presence that makes me feel at ease during my visits. I’m very pleased with my experience at Dr.Cem Altindag office and highly recommend him and iam very happy with the results.
And a very special thanks from Mohamed who helped me all the time day and night mad everything easy and smooth for me, he is a gentleman
Thank you so much for your hard work and support 💜 ❤️ 💗 🙏🙏🙏
We are very happy that we chose Dr Cem to do septorhinoplasty on my daughter’s nose. I was very impressed with the clinic that contacted us within 5 minutes of our enquiry. We asked to virtually meet Dr Cem and he found the time to do so on the next day! Dr Cem answered all our questions at the meeting and we felt comfortable and confident in him. His wonderful assistant Mohamed was always there to patiently answer many more questions we had regarding surgery, travel, hotel, visas, etc. Our experience in Istanbul has been amazing. We were met at the airport, transferred to the hotel and did the necessary tests on the day of our arrival. The surgery was on the next day and went well. The stay at the hospital was comfortable and the staff was wonderful and caring. Mohamed stayed with us the whole time and was very helpful and supportive. Dr Cem did a fantastic job, he is very professional and skilled, always smiling and caring. The bruising and swelling were minimal. We still have to wait for another 6-12 months before the nose shape settles but from what we see now it looks very natural and nice.
The hotel was clean, quiet and only metres away from shops and restaurants. The staff spoke English and were great. The clinic gave us a gift at the end of our stay – a trip to the main attractions in Istanbul, which was amazing.
From start to finish our experience with Dr Cem and Mohamed has been great. Even now when we are back home, I know that I can rely on Mohamed to answer any questions we may have.
If anyone is looking for one of the best nose surgeons in Istanbul, I highly recommend Dr Cem Altindag. I loved that he only specialises in noses!
We thank Olga for her kind attitude, patience and many thanks for the consultation 24/7. Dr. Cem Altintag is undoubtedly an excellent doctor and he, as a specialist, after an examination, honestly answered that according to the anatomy of our nose, unfortunately, the operation may not exceed expectations and no one in the world will be able to correct asymmetrical nostrils. Many thanks to him for his honesty! Also, we were not charged for the transfer. We paid only for the days of stay at the hotel and for the tests.
Booking something online is always risky, but my experience of making my surgery in Turkey and getting offers from Bookimed was excellent. They gave me 3 options and the one I chose was very good. I got excellent pre and post consultation, the doctor was professional, spoke good English. The both doctor assistants as well, were very professional and even one of them stay with me before and after the operation. The package I got was including hotel and transfers, which I have nothing to complain about. The only thing I didn't like 100% was the quality of the hospital. It was a bit too old and the bathroom in my room was not very clean. Nevertheless, I do recommend Bookimed and for sure I do recommend Dr. Cem and his team
First of all, I thank the bookimed service for help in choosing a clinic, for consultation, for organizing treatment and for 24/7 support. Absolutely everything was organized (comfortable transfer, excellent hotel, food and treatment itself). Bookimed helped you choose the best clinic for rhinoplasty. As for the operation itself. Everything went at the highest level. In the morning I passed all the necessary tests, Dr. Cem Altindeg held a consultation and we discussed all the details of the operation. I was in a single comfortable room. All necessary medications were provided. The staff is very attentive and tactful; I had a coordinator with me who helped translate into Russian and constantly supported and helped. Rehabilitation took place at the hotel. According to the results: a doctor from God and a professional in his field. He doesn't make carbon copies of noses, he relies on your facial features, taking into account your wishes. It was done as carefully and naturally as possible, only 10 days have passed, there is still swelling, but the result is already visible. The doctor's experience and qualifications are at the highest level. Without a doubt, I recommend bookimed and the clinic The nose aesthetic, and doctor Cem Altindaga. Without a doubt I made the right choice! Thank you!
Dr. Cem, his assistant Mohammed were absolutely amazing. Doctors expertise and knowledge of the treatment was great. We were however taken back/shocked with the hospital we were scheduled at for treatment at. Very run down, did not appear very clean. Nurse was noted on several occasions not wearing any gloves during the recovery process.. for examples, when applying the IV, removing bandages etc. Overall, we are happy with the results with Dr. Cem but we really wish the hospital chosen for the procedure was different.
Generally happy with the support service provided by Bookimed prior to my rhinoplasty surgery in Istanbul, although I never really had a dedicated person taking care of me the whole way through the communication process, which I would have preferred . To improve on this service and have a more personal touch, it would also have been nice to have a check-In /follow up whilst I was actually in Turkey. Fortunately Dr.Cem’s team at the Nose Clinic took care of everything, and despite a couple of unexpected setbacks completely out of everyone’s control, my surgery went ahead on 2nd May as planned. I am only day 11 post-op and so there is still quite a lot of swelling in and around the tip of my nose , but so far so good. I would recommend anyone think big about a Rhinoplasty to consider this clinic as Dr. Cem Altindag really is a nose specialist with so much experience, and a very kind manner, he immediately put me at ease and I was able to put my complete faith in him, despite only a very short consultation just before the operation itself. A massive thank you to our translator Jeret and Dr. Clem’s assistant Mohamed for their kindness, advice and making everything possible! Overall, it has been a positive experience and I would definitely consider going abroad for other treatments in the future.
The choice of the clinic was intuitive and the information about the attending physician reinforced the feeling that I had made the right choice. The organisation, the pleasant interpreter, the smooth work and the process in general - everything as I like it. Everything brilliant is simple. A personal meeting with the doctor on the eve of the operation delighted me and calmed my worries, as I was promptly given my personal view of the problem. Rehabilitation is difficult, which is due to the peculiarities of my body (Dr Jem said after the operation that my teeth would hurt), but very fast, 4-5 days without bruises and swelling. I am very happy that I decided to do what I have been dreaming of for a long time. I look at myself in the mirror - here it is, the real me) Thank you very much for everything!
This was my 3rd rhinoplasty. The first one was unsuccessful, they ruined my nose with an implant. The second rhinoplasty did not correct all the problems. Since this was supposed to be a decisive operation, I took the choice of a doctor very seriously and the Bookimed service helped me a lot. My consultant Tatyana helped me a lot with my choice, she answered all my questions very accurately! We chose Dr. Cem Altindag because he specializes in the nose. I liked my translator! Very attentive and nice girl! The provision of medical services in the hospital was of very high quality. Everyone is very friendly and attentive. Special thanks to my attending physician! I'm very pleased with everything! So far I am satisfied with the results, I will wait for a full recovery! I had some minor problems with the hotel, but this issue was resolved very quickly. So don’t worry, those who are planning to fly for treatment, everything will be in the best possible way!
I will start by thanking Stanislav, the coordinating doctor of Bookimed, with whom I contacted at the beginning and who suggested that I do rhinoplasty at the Clinic of Nose Aesthetics with Dr. Cem Altindag. I liked the professional qualities of the coordinator - I found out the answers to my questions, agreed on everything in advance and flew to Istanbul without fear. Dr. Mohammed treats patients wonderfully. He was always ready to help in solving any problems and questions. Thanks to this, the stay in Istanbul turned out to be joyful and comfortable. The surgeon himself, Cem Altindag, is a very experienced doctor. He simultaneously listens to the wishes of the patients and finds the best solution, taking into account the realism of the wishes and the well-being of the patient. He is a very honest person and cares about doing his job well. The final result can be seen only after a while, but the operation itself went well and the initial result was very pleasing: everything is as expected, and most importantly, it looks natural. Special thanks to the staff: it was easy to trust them and they showed genuine concern. The room was clean, comfortable and pleasant to be in. I wholeheartedly recommend this clinic to anyone! (Janeta)
That was the best experience what I could imagine.
The whole trip was nice organised.
From the first steps till the last everything was more then good.
The doctor did an extremly nice shaped nose what is perfectly fitting for my face.He was listening for all my wishes but he kept being honest and realistic with me since the first time.
He literally changed my life with his work.
Extra huge thanks for Mohammed who was answering my questions and helping me on the way.
If you are thinking about a nosejob I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Dr.Cem Altindag and his team
Zoltan
I can safely advise to interact with Bookimed.com and RHINOPLASTY CLINIC ISTANBUL DIRECTED BY OP. DR. CEM ALTINDAG. Had a septoplasty in Turkey (first surgery ever). Everything is quite efficient and client orientated and organised. Currently still in the process of recovery, but the effect in my case 3 weeks after the operation is there. I am grateful to the team of Bookimed.com and DR. CEM ALTINDAG.
My nose was large and not an easy case for Dr Cem Altindag to work with. The results AMAZING!!!! It looks so natural and matches my face perfectly. The Dr and his assistant both responded in the middle of the night to a question I sent them after the surgery. That is outstanding care!!
I picked Dr Cem because he specializes in noses and is highly rated. I am working to take my daughter there soon for him to work his magic on her nose also.
Before and two weeks later pictures!
Thank you Dr Cem
