Melek Başaran, Child Development Specialist

Melek Başaran is a podologist working in the field of podiatry and foot health at Acibadem Atasehir Hospital in İstanbul, Türkiye. She has more than four years of experience in foot care and provides medical foot care for adults with a range of nail, skin and structural foot concerns, including patients with diabetes and women who need foot care during pregnancy.

Melek Başaran graduated from Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University in 2022. In 2024 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services, where she currently practises at the hospital in the Ataşehir district of İstanbul. Her work is centred on the assessment and routine care of the feet and nails, with attention to the particular needs of patients whose general health may affect the skin and circulation of the lower limbs.

Clinical focus

A central part of Melek Başaran’s practice is diabetic foot care. Patients with diabetes may develop reduced sensation, dry skin and changes in circulation that make the feet more vulnerable to injury and slow healing, so regular inspection and careful, professional care of the skin and nails form an important part of their overall management. She also provides medical foot care more generally, which covers the assessment of the feet and the treatment of common problems of the skin and nails in patients without diabetes.

Her listed areas of expertise include the care of deformed nails and thickened nails, which can become painful or difficult to manage without professional attention, as well as corn care and cracked heel care. She sees patients with flat feet (pes planus), assessing how the arch of the foot is affecting comfort and function, and offers foot care during pregnancy, when changes in weight, posture and swelling can place additional strain on the feet. Summer foot care, addressing the effects of heat, open footwear and increased activity on the skin of the feet, is also part of her practice. In each case the approach is individual and depends on the findings of the examination and the patient’s general health.

How Melek Başaran works with international patients

Melek Başaran speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who prefer to communicate in another language. The hospital’s international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and relevant records before the visit, such as laboratory results, previous foot care or treatment notes, imaging reports where they exist and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the practical aspects of the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, including any conditions such as diabetes that may affect the feet, a review of previous treatments and existing reports, a clinical examination of the feet and nails, and a discussion of the care options that are appropriate in the individual case. Video consultation is available for international patients, which allows a preliminary discussion of the patient’s concerns and records before any decision about travelling to İstanbul is made.