Woman, 35, Travels to Turkey for Mommy Makeover After Having 3 Kids. The Result and Price Are Equally Shocking (Exclusive)

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5 days ago

Social media influencer Cayley traveled to Turkey for a mommy makeover and paid a fraction of what the procedure would have cost in the U.S.
She estimated it would have cost around $40K to get the surgery done locally in Arizona, but she paid less than $15K for an entire 10-day trip to Turkey, including the surgery
Cayley tells PEOPLE she had a great experience despite how many people have left comments on her posts criticizing medical tourismContent Creator Cayley says she always knew that when she was done having kids she would get a mommy makeover.
The mom of three — who had her children in the span of four years — briefly considered getting surgery in the U.S., but quickly realized that it was not within her budget.
"I live in Arizona, so obviously Scottsdale's right here, it is plastic surgery central," Cayley, a rising TikTok influencer, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I started looking up some surgeons in my area and I'm like, 'I have three young kids, I can't spend $40,000 on this.' So that ruled that out."
Cayley, 35, then did her research on medical tourism. She says she quite simply googled "plastic surgery capitals," which led her to Mexico, Colombia and Turkey. Her proximity to Mexico was appealing, but her desire to travel to Turkey made it the winner. She continued researching facilities in Turkey and reached out to those she found. Cayley says the first place she contacted, the office of Dr. Safa Manav in Instanbul, was the one she instantly clicked with because she felt comfortable with the correspondence.
"They were so warm, friendly, nice, kind, caring, just kind of checked all the boxes," she says of the initial conversations, which were all over WhatsApp. She then sent photos of herself to the patient coordinator, asking for a mommy makeover, which typically includes a tummy tuck, breast augmentation and liposuction. They provided her with a price quote that shocked her.
"It almost felt surreal," she says of the price.
Cayley put her deposit down in February and traveled to Turkey in May. She was there for 10 nights, and had a "VIP experience," she says. She stayed in a medical hotel that was partnered with the clinic where she had her surgery, plus breakfast, transfers to the facility and airport transportation were all included in her plastic surgery package.
For her actual procedure, Cayley opted for a traditional mommy makeover — and she brought her own mother along for emotional support (and to aid in recovery).
"I had a full tummy tuck with a little bit of muscle repair and then a little bit of lipo on my sides. I also had a breast lift and augmentation," she explains. Her surgery took place on her third day in Istanbul, and she then spent two nights in the hospital facility before going back to her hotel. For the next handful of days, Cayley was able to rest, relax and recover, though she had the option to have a nurse come and check on her. She says she did have her come at first but felt like she was doing just fine and opted out of that after the second day.
"The first couple of days truly were rough," she says of her recovery, explaining how it was easier to be away from home vs. recovering in her house. "My kids don't understand. Having that time of total rest and recovery was so nice."
Once she felt up to it, she and her mom explored Istanbul before heading back to the States. She says that getting up and moving around made her feel better.
"Everyone's recovery is different, but it was great for me," she says. "I got to actually see [Turkey] and enjoy it."
Cayley, who shares all sorts of "hot mom things" on TikTok, documented her mommy makeover for her audience, and she very quickly got a lot of questions, including what the experience was like in Turkey, how she felt about the results, how her husband felt about the results and, of course, how much she actually paid.
She's largely been an open book about the whole thing, sharing updates on her healing process since arriving back in Arizona (though she waited a while to show off her belly button because it looked "crazy" while it healed).
The healing process has gone well for her, and she hasn't run into any setbacks. She also noted that her husband was very supportive.
"I told him, I was like, 'Aren't you excited I'm going to come home with new boobs?' And he's like, 'Honestly, whatever makes you happy,'" she gushes. "The right words to say!"
The price was what made everything worth it for Cayley. She breaks it all down for PEOPLE: "So $11,000 included all my procedures, my hospital garments, the hotel stay [for 10 nights], the VIP transfers [to the clinic and the airport], breakfasts, etc. And then the flight roundtrip was around $1,500. So I think total, I'd say $14,000 from start to finish. That includes everything. Shopping, eating out, little things we did. That was 2024 pricing they gave me. I believe the price has slightly increased now."
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported in 2022 that a mommy makeover could cost at least $20,000, but it varies greatly based on where you live, who your doctor is and what the scope of the surgery ends up being.
Cayley is loving her new body now that it's almost fully healed and she has the confidence to wear her bikinis again. One of the only drawbacks she's experienced with her massive social media audience is the handful of comments she's gotten on her posts criticizing medical tourism.
"I had to actually filter my comments," she admits, adding that some of them got really aggressive and xenophobic. "They don't think those problems could also happen here in the States? Guess what? They do. People always have something to say. I had a great experience with my doctor."
Read the original article on People