Aestheticstanbul, a symposium bringing together prominent plastic surgeons from around the world, opens in Istanbul today. The three-day event will host 19 experts in plastic and cosmetic surgery. Participants will perform 31 surgeries that will be broadcast live during the event.

Turkish clinic Estetik International will host the surgeries to share the experience of skilled surgeons. Among the participants are Amjad al-Yousef from Russia, Italian surgeon Giovanni Botti, California-based surgeon Steven R. Cohen, Romanian plastic surgeon Constantin Stan and renowned Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Renato Calabria.

Dr. Bülent Cihantimur, the founder of Estetik International, said they aim to bring popular surgeons from around the world and show how good Turkish plastic surgeons are in their field. "This is also an opportunity for young surgeons to watch and interact with veteran surgeons during surgeries," he told Demirören News Agency.

The symposium will also be a boost for growing health tourism in Turkey, which more people have visited for plastic surgery in recent years.

"We have a chance to show the world the development of health tourism in Turkey. Our surgeons are really good at their job, and this event will be an opportunity to showcase their skills as well," he said.

Plastic surgery is one of the top forms of medical tourism worldwide, and Turkey has made major strides in developing its medical tourism sector by implementing policies that effectively facilitate the process for tourists.

Hundreds of thousands of medical tourists, particularly from the Middle East, visit Turkey for plastic surgeries and hair transplants, in particular. Turkish specialists are already known the world over for advanced hair transplantation techniques, including Direct Hair Implantation (DHI), Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), Gold and IceGraft.