Istanbul's 10 best bariatric surgeons and clinics
Published September 11, 2026
Bariatric surgery is different in kind from everything else in this series, and the difference comes from the subject rather than from the ranking. A filling can be redone; a hair transplant can be corrected with a second session. A gastric sleeve permanently removes most of the stomach, and the patient lives the rest of their life around it. So read this list more cautiously than the others.
This list answers one question: among the bariatric surgeons and clinics in Istanbul rated 4.5 or better, which have the most patients behind them? The bar on each row below is that listing’s review count as a share of the leader’s.
A small field, made mostly of names
Our catalogue holds fewer than a hundred bariatric listings in Istanbul — a small field in a city where dental clinics run into the thousands and hair transplant centres into the hundreds. Its shape is different too: most listings are not a clinic but a surgeon’s own name. Associate professors, professors, operating surgeons.
That is good news for the reader. A complex’s rating belongs to an institution, and you have to ask who will operate. Here it is usually clear whose rating it is.
One detail not to miss: the same surgeon appears twice — Prof. Dr. Hasan Erdem, in both Pendik and Üsküdar. Two listings, one surgeon. Both are marked in the notes.
The rating says almost nothing here
On our other lists the 4.5 threshold removes something. Here nearly every listing sits between 4.9 and 5.0, so the threshold removes almost nothing and review count decides the order entirely. And the counts run into the hundreds — the gap between fifth and tenth is a few hundred patients.
Bariatric patients also tend to write their review in the first weeks after surgery, while the weight is coming off fast and satisfaction is at its highest. The long-term results — keeping the weight off, nutritional problems, the need for a second operation — rarely make it into a Google rating.
If you are flying in for this
Istanbul is one of Europe’s main destinations for gastric sleeve surgery, and the price difference is real. But this is the procedure where the package-price comparison is most misleading, because the most important part happens after you leave. Before you book the flight, have an answer to one question: who looks after me for the first year once I am home? If neither the surgeon nor your own doctor has agreed to, the price is not the whole cost.
Ask before you book
- Is the operation right for me, and how did you assess that? Being offered surgery without your BMI, history and tests being asked for is a warning sign.
- How many of these operations do you perform a year? The title tells you they are qualified; the number tells you how practised.
- Which hospital, and does it have intensive care?
- What is the protocol if something goes wrong? Including who you call at night once you are home.
- Who follows me up for the first year? Supplements and blood tests included.
How this list was made
Our catalogue holds 96 bariatric surgery listings in İstanbul. The 88 rated 4.5 or better on Google are the field; this list is the 10 of them that the most patients have reviewed.
- 96
- clinics listed in İstanbul
- 4.5+
- rating needed to qualify
- 206
- reviews, the fewest on the list
Review count sets the order and the rating decides who is in the running. On rating alone the top would go to whichever practice talked three relatives into five stars. On review count alone it would be the busiest clinics in the city, whatever their patients thought.
The clinics, their ratings and their review counts are read from our catalogue when this page loads, so the order follows the current figures rather than the date this was written.
What we looked at
- Review count sets the order
- A surgeon's or clinic's place on this list comes from how many patients have reviewed them on Google. The most-reviewed is first.
- The rating threshold removes almost nothing here
- A listing needs 4.5 to be in the running — but in this field nearly every listing sits between 4.9 and 5.0. On our other lists the threshold cuts something; here the whole ranking is review count. Read it knowing that.
- The numbers are small, and so are the gaps
- Where dental and hair transplant reviews run into the thousands, these run into the hundreds. The difference between fifth and tenth place is a few hundred patients in absolute terms. Use the ranking as a shortlist, not a league table.
- Mostly surgeons, not clinics
- Unlike our other lists, most listings here carry a person's own name. That works in the reader's favour: it is clear whose reviews these are, and there is a named surgeon answerable for the operation.
- What we did not do
- We have not checked these surgeons' credentials, operation volumes or complication rates. This is not medical advice; only a doctor who has examined you can decide whether surgery is right for you.
The commentary is ours. The ratings are Google’s, and we do not adjust them.
The list
İstanbul, Platform Merter Suits, Abdurrahman Nafiz Gürman, General Ali Rıza Gürcan Cd. B blok No:27 , Kat 16 , Giriş No : 197-A, 34164 Güngören/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Merter, and the only clinic at the top of this list — nearly everything else carries a surgeon's own name. The business name is made almost entirely of English search phrases, which says plainly that it is built for patients flying in. Ask at the first contact which surgeon will operate; here the rating belongs to an institution, not to a person.
İstanbul, 19 Mayıs Mahallesi Büyükdere Cad. Tankaya Palas No:14/2 K:1 D:2, 34360 Şişli/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Şişli, on Büyükdere Caddesi, a general surgeon practising under his own name. The listing leads with the sleeve operation, which suggests a practice concentrated in this field.
İstanbul, Cevizli, Bağdat Cad. No:547, 34846 Maltepe/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Maltepe, on the Bağdat Caddesi axis — easy to reach for follow-ups if you are staying on the Asian side. The listing carries only his name, with no marketing language.
İstanbul, Etiler Nispetiye Caddesi, Aydın Sokağı No:1, 34470 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Beşiktaş–Etiler, listed as a specialist in bariatric and general surgery. One of the perfectly rated listings here.
İstanbul, Zuhuratbaba, Dr. Tevfik Sağlam Cd No:11, 34147 Bakırköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Bakırköy–Zuhuratbaba, perfectly rated. Another bariatric surgeon on this list is in the same neighbourhood; they may work around the same hospital, so ask where the operation will actually take place.
İstanbul, Barbaros, Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Cd. No: 149, 34203, 34000 Bağcılar/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Bağcılar, a faculty member — one of the surgeons here with an academic title. The listing also leads with laparoscopic surgery, which is how a sleeve operation is usually done.
İstanbul, Kurtköy, Ankara Cd. No:390 D:3, 34912, 34890 Pendik/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Pendik–Kurtköy. An important detail: the same surgeon appears a second time on this list, in Üsküdar–Altunizade. Two listings, two locations, one surgeon — their reviews are counted separately, so both appear. Combined, they would place him far higher.
İstanbul, Altunizade, Kısıklı Cd. No: 5\B, 34662 Üsküdar/İstanbul, Türkiye
The same surgeon's Üsküdar–Altunizade listing. The Pendik one is in English and aimed at patients flying in; this one carries only his name. Whichever you contact, you are dealing with the same person.
İstanbul, Küçükbakkalköy Mah. Dudullu Cad. R2 Blok Brandium No:23 - 25B, 34755 Ataşehir/İstanbul, Türkiye
In Ataşehir, the business district of the Asian side. The listing carries only his name.
İstanbul, Zuhuratbaba, İncirli Cd. 89b, 34147 Bakırköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Bakırköy–Zuhuratbaba, and the lowest-rated listing here — 4.7 clears the threshold comfortably but sits below this field's 4.9–5.0 norm. The example that shows how little the threshold removes on this list.
Questions about this list
Is gastric sleeve surgery right for anyone who wants to lose weight?
No. Bariatric surgery is a clinical decision made by a doctor after examination and tests, based on your body mass index and any conditions that come with it — it is not a procedure offered to everyone who wants to lose weight. A clinic that offers you the operation without asking your BMI, your history and your test results is a warning sign in itself.
Can it be reversed?
A sleeve gastrectomy permanently removes most of the stomach; it cannot be undone. That means the decision belongs to the permanence of the operation, not to a package price or a travel date.
What happens after I fly home?
This is the question package prices leave out, and it matters more for bariatric surgery than anything else on our lists. The operation is the start of the process: afterwards comes a permanent change in how you eat, usually lifelong vitamin and mineral supplements, and regular blood tests. Before you book, find out who will follow you up for the first year once you are back home — and whether your own doctor is willing to.
What if there is a complication?
Bariatric surgery has known risks, including bleeding and leaks. Ask the surgeon what the protocol is if something goes wrong, which hospital the operation will be done in, and whether it has an intensive care unit. Ask as well who you call at night if a problem appears after you have flown home.
How do I judge a surgeon's experience?
The most direct question: how many of these operations do they perform a year? Bariatric surgery is done by general surgeons, and what matters is how much of their practice it is. A title tells you they are qualified; the annual number tells you how practised they are.
How often does this list change?
The order is not fixed. Listings and ratings are read from our catalogue when the page loads, and because review counts here are small, the order can move more easily than on our other lists.
Can a surgeon pay to be on this list?
No. ClinicPicker does sell placement, and it is labelled Sponsored wherever it appears — but it cannot appear here. Position comes from review count and rating alone.
Browse this slice yourself
This list names 10, ordered by weight of review. The hub has all 96, with the filters and the other ways of sorting them.
All Bariatric Surgery in İstanbul