Austin Entrepreneur Saves Thousands Getting Facelift in Istanbul — and Documents Every Step

Heather Emerson, a 42-year-old Austin-based staffing agency founder, spent years contemplating a facelift before COVID, skyrocketing U.S. prices, and a new level of business success pushed her to finally act — but abroad. After originally booking a $15,000 procedure with a U.S. surgeon, she watched the price triple to $45,000 when she tried to rebook six months later post-COVID. That sticker shock sent her shopping internationally.

Emerson landed on Istanbul after comparing options in Mexico, Brazil, and Turkey, concluding that Turkish surgical techniques appeared more advanced. She booked a comprehensive $15,000 procedure with Dr. Soner Karaali — covering a deep-plane facelift, neck lift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, micro fat transfers, and a lip lift. Her husband Faiez joined her on first-class flights, and the couple stayed at a five-star Istanbul hotel for $6,000. She also added $3,000 in lower-teeth veneers from a local cosmetic dentist. All-in — flights, hotel, surgery, and dental work — the trip ran approximately $30,000, still a fraction of what the equivalent U.S. facelift alone would have cost.

The surgery itself was grueling. The seven-hour procedure left Emerson in severe pain upon waking, with tramadol proving insufficient — she spent five hours in distress before receiving morphine at 1 a.m. She remained hospitalized for two nights before returning to the hotel. Staples and stitches came out at day 10, and she flew home shortly after. Real results didn't appear for roughly eight weeks, once swelling and bruising fully subsided.

Eight months later, Emerson says she has no desire to change anything, though she acknowledges minor imperfections — slight lip asymmetry, a small scar near one eye, and neck skin that isn't perfectly taut. She's been open about the experience on Instagram, framing her decision as a personal form of aging gracefully rather than a contradiction of it. Her broader argument: women face criticism both for looking older and for caring too much about appearance, and there should be room for individual choice without shame.