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Americans are traveling 6,000 miles to plastic surgery clinic known for its jaw-dropping transformations... but is the whole thing a scam? Our experts weigh in
Americans and Canadians are travelling thousands of miles across the globe to a plastic surgery clinic in Turkey which has astonished people with its impossibly good client transformations.
Incredible before-and-afters of patients have gone viral on social media, with some clients who appear to have aged backwards several decades.
But the results are so good it has led many to question whether or not they are actually legitimate, including multiple plastic surgeons DailyMail.com spoke to who said they feared the images had been enhanced with artificial intelligence.
DailyMail.com also spoke Dr Eli May, the lead surgeon at the Istanbul clinic who claims that the 2,000 radical before and after images shared online are 'undoctored'.
Este Hospital claims Michael underwent a total of seven procedures: facelift, neck lift, lower eyelid blepharoplasty, upper blepharoplasty, buccal fat removal, rhinoplasty, and hair transplant procedures, to achieve the look on the right
A women in a hijab, referred to as Miss Dilek, was pictured two years after a rhinoplasty, face lift and blepharoplasty surgeries, according to Este's Instagram
The amazing metamorphoses are simply the result of several cosmetic procedures, each with the ideal outcome, the Este Hospital Dental Treatment and Aesthetic Surgery told DailyMail.com.
But surgeons have accused the establishment of crafting images using artificial intelligence; the lack of visible scars and inconsistences in ear shape in the photos is 'suspicious', they say.
One of the most astonishing transformations is alleged patient Michael, who Este Hospital claim underwent a total of seven procedures: facelift, neck lift, lower eyelid blepharoplasty, upper blepharoplasty, buccal fat removal, rhinoplasty, and hair transplant procedures.
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 expert in AI, told DailyMail.com that the photos of Michael have telltale signs that 'seem to suggest AI generation'
Professor Siwei Lyu, a computer scientist at the University of Buffalo, New York, and an expert in AI, told DailyMail.com that the photos of Michael have telltale signs that 'seem to suggest AI generation.'
He pointed to a suspicious looking dark line on the right hand side of Michael's neck, and a fuzziness under Michael's left earlobe.
Professor Lyu also said that unless the plastic surgery replaced the ears entirely, the two people have very different ear shapes, known as auricular biometrics, that 'are unique to an individual person.'
'It is likely that these are not the same person,' Professor Lyu said.
Este does not mention any adjustments to Michael's ears.
Dr Elie Levine, a plastic surgeon in New York City, also agreed the ears look odd.
'The preoperative earlobe is a lot more plump and it is hard to lose weight in the earlobes,' he said.
Dr Levine told DailyMail.com that the fact 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 am looking at this picture and I can't even see a hint of a scar is a little concerning,' he said.
Dr May, a surgeon at the clinic, explained that he takes the before photos on his iPhone on the day of surgery.
The after pictures are sent in by patients, he explained, and are not digitally enhanced by the clinic.
Michael, from Canada, had also had gastric sleeve surgery done at another clinic, a week before Dr May performed the facial surgeries. The surgeon suggests his weight loss may have contributed to the dramatic change in appearance.
'Most of these patients lose minimum 35-40 kilogram in between the before and after photos,' he said.
Another miraculous transformation is a women named Miss Dilek, who is seen two years after a rhinoplasty, face lift and blepharoplasty surgeries, according to Este's Instagram.
According to Este Hospital, Mariam had laser skin resurfacing and facelift 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 shape jawline, cheek lift, under eye bag rejuvenation and temporal lifting procedures, according to Este Hospital
But the photos show a remarkably youthful, smooth face and different eye color.
Dr Levine said this transformation is 'suspicious', and the after picture appears to have 'undergone a filter significantly'.
The eye color change could be a contact lens, he said, but added 'that is a lot to ask.'
Because the side of the woman's head is covered, you cannot see a lot of the surrounding face, so there may be significant scarring which is not visible, Dr Levine said.
Dr May said that while clients send in the before and after photos, the clinic gives some instructions on how to take them.
The person has to be one meter away from the camera and use bright natural light during the day.
He also said that the photos posted on the Instagram are taken at least a year after surgery, because that is how long it takes for the surgeries to fully heal.
A rhinoplasty at Este Hospital costs $4,000 USD, while a face lift is priced at around $6,000 USD, according to Medical Departures, a site that compares prices at medical clinics around the world.
Dr David Hill, a plastic surgeon from Chicago, told DailyMail.com that while the results look 'remarkable', 'it is actually attainable.'
Dr Hill said the giveaway 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 trademark color changes that are the same in the before and after. That's probably the biggest thing for me, that makes it likely to be the same patient,' he said.
'This transformation is certainly attainable with plastic surgery, even though it's remarkable and identity changing.'
Sousa underwent a nose job and V-shape jawline surgery. Este claimed two years passed between the sets of photos
Dr Hill did not rule out that the 'after' photos were edited, however, and said it is 'hard to say whether it is exactly a representation of how that gentleman looks in real life.'
'A lot of times, the less reputable clinics will do photoshopping or touch up work to make the scars less visible, or to make things look even better,' he said, adding that this can give potential clients false expectations.
'It is possible that they did do touch up work on the photo, despite having an incredible before and after.'
A lot of clinics will use different lighting, angles, hairstyles and make-up to make the difference in the photos more stark and the after photo more appealing.
Social media users also suggested the 'before' pics could be manipulated to look worse, for instance by using a wide angle lens to make features such as the nose look bigger.
Dr Levine also noted that a lot of the rhinoplasty photos are taken very close to the person, so that the nose looks wider, and the eyes and cheeks look abnormal.
'If you take an after at a more appropriate distance, [the abnormalities] are no longer there.'
The 'after' photos 'definitely' have filters on them, which make the patient's skin look much brighter and gets rid of imperfections such as hollow eyes.
The patients 'may have undergone rhinoplasties, and good rhinoplasties, but the before picture is intentionally made to look terrible,' Dr Levine said.
Dr Levine said that a lot of the transformations on Este's page 'probably are true', but added 'if you met a patient after their procedure they wouldn't look quite as they do in the pictures.'
Este Hospitals has been contacted for comment.