Dr. Zeynep Arslan

Dr. Zeynep Arslan is an associate professor and plastic surgeon at Istanbul University Hospital, combining a significant reconstructive surgery practice with selective aesthetic surgery. Turkey is recognized globally as one of the leading destinations for medical tourism in plastic and aesthetic surgery, and Dr. Arslan represents the academic tradition within this field — rooted in reconstructive principles and microsurgical training before aesthetic applications.

Her reconstructive practice focuses on post-oncologic reconstruction, particularly breast reconstruction following mastectomy using autologous flap techniques (DIEP, TRAM, latissimus dorsi) and implant-based approaches. She works within Istanbul University Hospital's multidisciplinary breast cancer team and coordinates reconstruction planning with surgical and medical oncologists from the point of cancer diagnosis.

Beyond oncologic reconstruction, Dr. Arslan manages burns and post-burn scar contracture — a significant part of the Istanbul University Hospital plastic surgery workload given the hospital's trauma and emergency role. She performs complex scar release and reconstruction using skin grafting, tissue expansion, and free tissue transfer.

Her aesthetic surgery practice includes rhinoplasty — Turkey's most sought-after aesthetic procedure among international patients — as well as abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty, and facelift surgery. She is committed to natural-appearing results and provides comprehensive pre- and post-operative care including psychological preparation and realistic outcome planning.

Dr. Arslan is fluent in Turkish and English and manages a significant international patient caseload, particularly for aesthetic rhinoplasty and post-bariatric body contouring procedures.

Dr. Arslan obtained her MD from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine and completed her Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency at Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty — one of Turkey's premier surgical training programs. She completed a Microsurgery and Free Flap Reconstruction Fellowship at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan — Asia's leading center for microsurgical reconstruction — gaining advanced experience in DIEP, ALT, and fibular free flap techniques. She holds the FEBOPRAS (Fellow of the European Board of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery) designation and is an Associate Professor at Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Arslan's reconstructive expertise centers on microsurgical free tissue transfer. She performs DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap breast reconstruction as the gold standard autologous approach, ALT (anterolateral thigh) flap reconstruction for head and neck and lower extremity defects, and fibular free flaps for mandibular reconstruction. She performs immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, implant-based reconstruction with tissue expanders, and oncoplastic breast surgery. In burns, she performs acute burn excision and grafting, scar release, and tissue expansion for post-burn alopecia and contracture. Her aesthetic work includes open and closed rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty with fleur-de-lis modification for post-bariatric patients, and facelift with SMAS manipulation.

Dr. Arslan has published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, and the Turkish Journal of Plastic Surgery on DIEP flap outcomes in Turkish breast cancer patients, post-burn reconstruction, and rhinoplasty technique outcomes. She presents at the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) annual congress and the Turkish Plastic Surgery Association national meeting. She supervises plastic surgery residents and participates in the Istanbul University surgical research program.

Turkey receives hundreds of thousands of international medical tourists annually for plastic and aesthetic surgery, with Istanbul as the primary hub. Dr. Arslan provides video consultations for prospective aesthetic surgery patients — particularly rhinoplasty and body contouring — allowing detailed pre-operative assessment, photograph review, and outcomes discussion before patients travel to Istanbul. For reconstructive oncology patients, she coordinates with oncology teams abroad to plan reconstruction timing relative to cancer treatment. She consults in Turkish and English.

Dr. Arslan is the recipient of the Turkish Plastic Surgery Association Reconstructive Surgery Award and has been recognized by Istanbul University for her contributions to microsurgical training. She serves on the ISAPS education committee and is a faculty member at international plastic surgery workshops on free flap reconstruction.