Americans and Canadians travel thousands of miles around the world to visit a plastic surgery clinic in Turkey that has amazed people with its clients’ incredibly good transformations.
Patients’ incredible befores and afters have gone viral on social media, with some clients appearing to have aged several decades.
But the results are so good that they have led many to question whether they are really legitimate or not, including several plastic surgeons DailyMail.com spoke to who said they feared the images had been enhanced with artificial intelligence.
DailyMail.com also spoke to Dr Eli May, the lead surgeon at the Istanbul clinic, who claims that the 2,000 radical before and after images shared online are not retouched.
This Hospital claims that Michael underwent a total of seven procedures: face lift, neck lift, lower eyelid blepharoplasty, upper blepharoplasty, buccal fat removal, rhinoplasty and hair transplant procedures, to achieve the right look.
A hijab-wearing woman, known as Miss Dilek, was photographed two years after rhinoplasty, facelift and blepharoplasty surgery, according to Este’s Instagram.
The surprising metamorphoses are simply the result of several cosmetic procedures, each with the ideal result, This Hospital’s Dental Treatment and Cosmetic Surgery told DailyMail.com.
But surgeons have accused the establishment of creating images using artificial intelligence; The lack of visible scars and inconsistencies in the shape of the ears in the photographs are “suspicious,” they say.
One of the most surprising transformations is that of alleged patient Michael, who according to This Hospital underwent a total of seven procedures: face lift, neck lift, lower eyelid blepharoplasty, upper blepharoplasty, buccal fat removal, rhinoplasty and hair transplant.
Blepharoplasty is a type of surgery that removes excess skin from the eyelids.
Professor Siwei Lyu, a computer scientist at the University of Buffalo, New York, and an AI expert, told DailyMail.com that Michael’s photos have telltale signs that “seem to suggest the generation of AI.”
Professor Siwei Lyu, a computer scientist at the University of Buffalo, New York, and an AI expert, told DailyMail.com that Michael’s photos have telltale signs that “seem to suggest the generation of AI.”
He pointed out a suspicious-looking dark line on the right side of Michael’s neck and a blurriness under Michael’s left earlobe.
Professor Lyu also said that unless plastic surgery replaces the ears completely, the two people have very different ear shapes, known as auricular biometrics, which “are unique to each individual person.”
“They are probably not the same person,” Professor Lyu said.
This does not mention any adjustments to Michael’s ears.
Dr. Elie Levine, a plastic surgeon in New York City, also agreed that the ears look strange.
“The earlobe before the operation is much plumper and it is difficult to lose weight in the earlobes,” he said.
Dr. Levine told DailyMail.com that the fact that there were no visible scars on the man’s face is concerning, because “you get spectacular scars after face and neck lifts.”
“The fact that I’m looking at this photo and I can’t see even a hint of a scar is a little worrying,” he said.
Dr. May, a surgeon at the clinic, explained that he takes before photos on his iPhone on the day of surgery.
Subsequent photos are sent by patients, he explained, and are not digitally enhanced by the clinic.
Michael, from Canada, had also undergone gastric sleeve surgery at another clinic, a week before Dr. May performed the facial surgeries. The surgeon suggests that her weight loss may have contributed to the dramatic change in appearance.
“Most of these patients lose a minimum of 35 to 40 kilograms between before and after photos,” he said.
Another miraculous transformation is that of a woman named Miss Dilek, the third in the photo below, who is seen two years after a rhinoplasty, facelift and blepharoplasty surgery, according to Este’s Instagram.
According to This Hospital, Mariam underwent skin rejuvenation and a laser face lift, as well as neck lift surgeries, upper and lower blepharoplasty procedures, fat injections and a rhinoplasty.
Nadya is pictured two years after her rhinoplasty, V-shaped jaw, cheek lift, under-eye bag rejuvenation and temporary lift procedures, according to This Hospital.
But the photos show a remarkably young, smooth face and a different eye color.
Dr. Levine said this transformation is “suspicious” and that the subsequent image appears to have “undergone significant filtering.”
The change in eye color could be due to a contact lens, he said, but added that “that’s a lot to ask for.”
Because the side of the woman’s head is covered, much of the surrounding face cannot be seen, so there may be significant scarring that is not visible, Dr. Levine said.
Dr. May said that while clients send before and after photos, the clinic gives some instructions on how to take them.
The person should be one meter away from the camera and use bright natural light during the day.
He also said that the photos posted on Instagram are taken at least a year after the surgery, because that is how long surgeries take to completely heal.
A rhinoplasty at East Hospital costs $4,000, while a facelift is priced around $6,000, according to Medical Departures, a site that compares prices at medical clinics around the world.
Dr. David Hill, Chicago plastic surgeon, told DailyMail.com that while the results seem “remarkable,” “they are actually achievable.”
Dr. Hill said the clue that Michael is the same person in the before and after is his iris, the colored part of the eye.
‘If you look at his left iris, it has some characteristic color changes that are the same before and after. That’s probably the most important thing to me, which makes it likely that it’s the same patient,” she said.
“This transformation can certainly be achieved with plastic surgery, even if it is noticeable and changes identity.”
Sousa underwent a nose job and V-shaped jaw surgery. He claimed that two years passed between sets of photos.
However, Dr Hill did not rule out that the “after” photos were edited, saying it is “difficult to say whether it is exactly a representation of what that gentleman looks like in real life.”
“A lot of times, less reputable clinics will do touch-ups or touch-ups to make scars less visible or to make things look even better,” he said, adding that this can raise false expectations in potential clients.
“It is possible that the photo was retouched, despite having an incredible before and after.”
Many clinics will use different lighting, angles, hairstyles and makeup to make the difference in the photos more stark and the subsequent photo more attractive.
Social media users also suggested that “before” photos could be manipulated to look worse, for example by using a wide-angle lens to make features such as the nose appear larger.
Dr. Levine also noted that many rhinoplasty photographs are taken very close to the person, so the nose appears wider and the eyes and cheeks look abnormal.
“If you take a more appropriate distance, (the anomalies) no longer exist.”
The ‘after’ photos ‘definitely’ have filters, which make the patient’s skin look much brighter and eliminate imperfections such as sunken eyes.
Patients “may have had rhinoplasties, and good rhinoplasties, but the image above is intentionally designed to look terrible,” Dr. Levine said.
Dr. Levine said many of the transformations on Este’s page “are probably true,” but added that “if you met a patient after their procedure, they wouldn’t look exactly like they do in the pictures.”
Este Hospitals has been contacted for comment.