Gastric Balloon in Turkey: Before You Go and Aftercare at Home

Planning a swallowable gastric balloon in Turkey is mostly about what happens around the procedure. According to Allurion, placement takes less than 15 minutes and needs no surgery, endoscopy or anaesthesia, but the balloon stays for about 16 weeks and the programme runs for at least six months, most of it after you fly home.

This guide is for readers in the UK and other countries who are weighing up treatment in Turkey. It covers what to arrange before you book, how long to plan to stay, how remote follow-up works once you are home, and which symptoms need urgent medical attention wherever you are. Costs are covered in our Turkey cost guide; if you are in the UK, our page for UK patients explains how the authorised network works.

What Is the Swallowable Gastric Balloon Programme?

The swallowable gastric balloon is a temporary balloon that you swallow as a capsule. It is filled with water once it is in your stomach and, according to Allurion, passes naturally after about 16 weeks. In the Allurion Programme, the balloon is combined with a smart scale, a mobile app and six months of dietitian follow-up.

The placement visit is short. You swallow a capsule attached to a thin tube, and in Allurion's words, "X-rays are used to ensure the Balloon is in the right position and filled correctly before the tube is gently removed" (allurion.com/en/faqs/what-to-expect). In its announcement of FDA approval, Allurion described a capsule "swallowed in a 15-minute office visit without the need for surgery, endoscopy, or anesthesia" (Allurion, SEC filing, February 23, 2026).

Eligibility is decided by a doctor, not by a booking form. Allurion's English-language safety page describes the balloon as indicated for "adults over 18 years old who live with excess weight or obesity with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg/m²", and adds that "Eligibility for the placement of an Allurion Balloon will be assessed by a certified doctor after an initial consultation and a careful review of your medical history" (allurion.com/en/quality-and-risk). The same page states that "Pregnant individuals or those with a history of oesophageal or stomach surgery, among others, are not eligible for the procedure."

In the US, the FDA approved the system through the premarket approval (PMA, Class III) pathway; Allurion announced the approval on February 23, 2026 (P250023).

What Should You Arrange Before You Book?

Several questions are easier to settle before the flight than after it:

1. Confirm that the clinic is part of the authorised network. Use Allurion's own clinic finder to check that a clinic offers the programme, then ask the clinic to confirm what your booking includes. Allurion states that "More than 1600 clinics offer the Allurion Programme worldwide" (allurion.com/en/start-your-journey/am-i-eligible).

   In Turkey, the programme is available at more than 60 authorised centres, 37 of them in Istanbul. Our Istanbul clinic guide and find a doctor page can help you shortlist.

2. Send your full medical history in advance. Allurion's safety page says that "Your doctor will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination to confirm your eligibility for the Allurion Programme." List your medications, previous operations and long-term conditions, and ask whether an initial assessment can happen before you travel. Our preparation guide covers the steps in more detail.

3. Talk to your GP before you go. Allurion advises: "If you consult other healthcare professionals, inform them that an intragastric balloon is present." Telling your GP before you travel means your own doctor already knows about the balloon if you need care at home.

4. Commit to the whole programme, not just the trip. Allurion is explicit that "The Allurion Gastric Balloon is part of a behaviour modification programme that lasts for a minimum of 6 months, to which you must be fully committed." Check that you will have time for regular check-ins with the dietitian over those months.

5. Check your plans for the next 16 weeks. Allurion writes: "We encourage you to stay close to modern emergency care facilities during the time the balloon is in place, in case serious complications arise." If you have trips to remote places planned during that period, raise them with the clinic before you book.

6. Get a written, itemised quote. Ask what is included: placement, physician reviews, the scale, the app and dietitian follow-up. Our cost guide explains what affects the price.

7. Agree the language of follow-up. Remote follow-up only works if you can talk easily with the team. Ask who your named contacts are and how quickly they reply.

How Long Should You Plan to Stay in Turkey?

Allurion does not set a fixed number of days. Most people get back to their usual routine within one to two days; your clinic decides when you are fit to fly. Allurion's own placement-day guide says: "You may feel nauseous and experience some fatigue over the next couple of days; this is completely normal and your nutritionist and doctor can help you manage any symptoms you experience" (allurion.com/en/blog/allurion-gastric-balloon-placement-day).

Two pieces of Allurion's safety information help frame that decision. In Allurion's summary of the 1,770-patient study, "3.95% experienced adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain" and "0.34% experienced serious adverse effects such as small intestine obstruction, pancreatitis, or gastric outlet obstruction" (allurion.com/en/quality-and-risk). Most people therefore do not have a serious problem, but you want to be somewhere you can be seen quickly if you do.

In practice that means keeping your return flight flexible, getting written discharge instructions with a direct contact number before you leave, and knowing where the nearest emergency department is, both near your hotel and at home. Our first-week guide describes what the first days after placement can look like.

Stage	What to arrange	Based on
Before booking	Medical history to the clinic, GP conversation, clinic checked on Allurion's finder	Allurion eligibility guidance
Placement day	Placement visit (less than 15 minutes, no endoscopy or anaesthesia); ask the team to show you how the app and scale work	Allurion
Before flying home	The clinic's go-ahead to travel, written contacts, implant card in hand	Clinic decision; Allurion implant card guidance
Weeks 1–16, balloon in place	Remote follow-up through scale, app and dietitian; stay close to modern emergency care	Allurion; PMID 40676353
Weeks 16–26	The balloon deflates and passes naturally after about 16 weeks; programme follow-up with the scale, app and dietitian continues to month 6	Allurion
After month 6	Agree longer-term follow-up with your team; in the one-year study, patients were followed monthly for a year after the balloon passed	PMID 40676353

What Should You Eat and Drink in the First Days?

Food is reintroduced step by step after placement, and the dietitian sets the pace. Allurion's placement-day guide says: "For the first few days after placement, you will need to re-introduce food carefully; your nutritionist will support you every step of the way and customize your progression to suit you." The same guide adds: "Drink plenty of fluids. Talk to your nutritionist about your fluid needs and how much you are able to manage in these first few days after placement" (allurion.com/en/blog/allurion-gastric-balloon-placement-day).

For travellers this has a practical side. Allurion advises: "Ensure that your pantry is stocked to support your post placement food choices; ask your dietitian for advice on what to prepare." If you are staying in a hotel, ask the clinic before placement what you will need for the first days and where to get it. Our nutrition guide after a gastric balloon covers the stages in more detail, and our risks and safety guide explains which symptoms to watch for.

What Happens After You Fly Home?

Once you are home, the programme continues remotely. Allurion describes this part as follows: "Receive personalised guidance from a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including dieticians, doctors and behaviour change experts" (allurion.com/en). Measurements from the connected scale reach the clinical team as well; in Allurion's words, "Your data flows directly into your care team's dashboard, helping them tailor your support" (allurion.com/en). The dietitian programme runs for six months.

This remote structure is also what the long-term data are built on. In a retrospective study from nine international obesity centres, patients were followed every two weeks while the balloon was in place and monthly for a year after it passed, with a Bluetooth-connected scale and mobile app allowing virtual follow-up (Caballero et al. 2025; PMID 40676353). Among the 522 patients with follow-up data, 95% of the weight loss achieved was maintained 12 months after the balloon passed (PMID 40676353). Results vary from person to person. How the scale and app fit together is explained in our digital follow-up guide.

For most travellers, the balloon passes after they are back home. Allurion states: "After approximately 16 weeks the Balloon naturally deflates" (allurion.com/en/faqs/what-to-expect). Allurion also notes that "Some patients may experience earlier deflation of the Allurion Balloon" and that "In rare cases, instead of being expelled through the digestive tract, the empty balloon may be vomited out" (allurion.com/en/quality-and-risk). If anything about the balloon's passage worries you, contact the team that placed it.

Keep your implant card with you for the whole balloon period. Allurion explains that after placement your healthcare professional gives you an implant card identifying the device and its manufacturer, which may also include a QR code linking doctors to information on managing adverse reactions; that information is also published at allurionsafety.info.

Which Symptoms Need Urgent Medical Attention?

Allurion's English-language safety page lists symptoms that "require immediately consulting the doctor who placed your device":

• Persistent nausea
• Severe vomiting
• Constipation with inability to pass gas
• Severe diarrhoea
• Dehydration
• Severe abdominal pain
• Severe cramps or discomfort
• Abdominal distension
• Fever
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Any other unexpected symptom

The same page says: "In case of any emergency, consult a doctor as soon as possible or call 999. Show your implant card to the healthcare professionals who are treating you." Outside the UK, use your local emergency number.

When the doctor who placed your balloon is in another country, two things make this easier: agreeing in advance how to reach them quickly, and knowing how to find another Allurion balloon doctor near you. Allurion's safety site states: "For immediate assistance you can use our global clinic locator to find other Allurion Balloon doctors near you" (allurionsafety.info).

What Does the Evidence Say About Results and Safety?

For results, the main reference is a multicentre study of 1,770 consecutive patients, in which average total body weight loss at the end of the four-month balloon period was about 15% (Ienca et al. 2020; PMID 32279182). Results vary from person to person. The one-year maintenance data above come from a separate, retrospective study (PMID 40676353).

For safety, Allurion states that "More than 200,000 balloons have been placed globally with an adverse event rate of <2% and a serious adverse event rate of <0.2%" (allurion.com/en-us/healthcare-professionals). The evidence base is summarised on our clinical evidence page.

Specialists You Can Consult on This Topic

You can consult the specialists below on this topic (listed alphabetically by surname). "Op. Dr." is the Turkish title for a specialist surgeon.

• Prof. Dr. Hasan Altun — general surgery, obesity and metabolic surgery · Interbariatrics Clinic, Istanbul
• Op. Dr. Salim Balin — specialist in general surgery · Balin Clinic, Istanbul
• Op. Dr. Mehtap Ertürk — specialist in general surgery · Mehtap Ertürk Clinic, Istanbul

To see authorised clinics, visit find a doctor or our gastric balloon in Turkey page, or fill in the form Let Our Specialists Call You.

Sources

1. Ienca R, et al. Obes Surg, 30(9):3354-3362 (2020). PMID 32279182 · doi:10.1007/s11695-020-04539-8
2. Caballero A, et al. Obes Surg, 35(9):3591-3598 (2025). PMID 40676353 · doi:10.1007/s11695-025-08074-2
3. Allurion, Quality and Risk (UK): allurion.com/en/quality-and-risk, accessed October 6, 2026.
4. Allurion, What to expect: allurion.com/en/faqs/what-to-expect, accessed October 6, 2026.
5. Allurion, Am I eligible: allurion.com/en/start-your-journey/am-i-eligible, accessed October 6, 2026.
6. Allurion, home page (UK): allurion.com/en, accessed October 6, 2026.
7. Allurion, safety information for clinicians and patients: allurionsafety.info, accessed October 6, 2026.
8. Allurion, Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1 (FDA approval announcement), February 23, 2026: sec.gov, accessed October 6, 2026.
9. Allurion, For healthcare professionals (US): allurion.com/en-us/healthcare-professionals, accessed October 7, 2026.
10. US Food and Drug Administration, PMA database, P250023: accessdata.fda.gov, accessed October 6, 2026.
11. Allurion, "Your Gastric Balloon Placement - What to Expect": allurion.com/en/blog/allurion-gastric-balloon-placement-day, accessed October 7, 2026.

This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Eligibility, travel fitness and follow-up must be decided by the treating physician.