The number of people in the UK needing hospital treatment after undergoing cosmetic surgery abroad has soared by 94% in three years, with more than three-quarters of those having surgery in Turkey in the past six months alone.
Data compiled by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and shared exclusively with ITV News reveals an increase in the number of people returning to the UK with complications ranging from wound healing problems to life-threatening sepsis.
In some cases patients have required intensive care and multiple emergency operations, most of which were provided by the NHS, since November last year.
The procedure is estimated to have cost the health service around £1.7m last year, leading to calls from MPs and health organisations for the government to take action.
BAAPS has recorded a number of cases since November 2022, including a 26-year-old woman who travelled overseas for surgery and ended up unintentionally undergoing a facelift – a procedure she had not intended to undergo.
The BAAPs said she was severely traumatized as a result.Another patient traveled to Turkey to undergo a hair transplant procedure and was specifically recommended to undergo eyelid surgery the next day, which resulted in multiple complications.
The other required stitches after surgery, which was carried out in a hotel room and without local anaesthetic.The Foreign Office says at least 24 British people have died after undergoing medical procedures in Turkey since 2019, but ITV News has been told the figure is likely to be much higher.
Sophie died after suffering cardiac arrest in Türkiye. Photo by Amy Hunt
“She just wanted to look like she was worth a million dollars.”
Sophie Hunt, a mother of two from Northampton, died in March last year after travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, for liposuction and tummy tuck surgery.
The 34-year-old went into cardiac arrest two days after undergoing surgery to lose weight and regain her confidence.
Sophie’s sister Amy told ITV News: “She just wanted to look her best.”
Sophie’s best friend also underwent cosmetic treatment and was discharged to a hotel in Turkey, where she soon developed necrosis – a condition in which body tissue dies due to a lack of blood supply.
Amy, who flew to Turkey after her sister’s death, said she walked to her friend’s hotel room and was “nauseated” by the smell of the body.
“She was lying in bed shaking, sweating, upset and saying she didn’t want to die like my sister,” Amy said. “It was really awful.”
She added: “For me, it’s really important for anyone thinking about doing this to at least think seriously about their life and what they want out of life.”
“And if it’s worth the risk of losing a body, or an ass, or teeth, or whatever it may be, or possibly losing your life.”
“My mindset was, I need this to survive.”
Pinky Jolie has suffered from sepsis four times since undergoing gastrectomy surgery in Turkey last November.
After her operation on the NHS was repeatedly postponed, she booked it abroad. “I knew it was essential for me to survive,” she said.
Pinky was sure she’d done her homework, but after the operation she woke up in excruciating pain. She says she received post-op care over WhatsApp, but no pain relief, and she doesn’t remember anything from the trip home.
Since then, Pinky has had two emergency operations on the NHS and has had to use a feeding tube, which she fears she will need for the rest of her life.
Pinky told ITV News that while she was being treated for sepsis in the UK, she had been admitted to an NHS ward along with five other people who were undergoing corrective treatment for cosmetic surgery they had undertaken in Turkey.
“I may lose my life,” she said. “I’m hopeful, but they’ve told me to prepare for the high probability that I’ll never be able to eat or drink again.”
“I was hoping for a better future, but my world has become even smaller.”
Sarah woke up from surgery in “incredible pain” and with a life-threatening infection. Photo by Sarah Pratt
“I thought I was going to die”
Sarah Platt, 32, spent a total of £15,000 on a series of operations in Antalya, Turkey, and has since had to undergo nine emergency operations to repair the problem.
She told ITV News that surgeons in the UK had “never seen a case like mine”, adding that she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from her ordeal.
The mother-of-four went overseas earlier this year to pay for five operations, including a breast lift and upper body lift.
She says she underwent five procedures during her first surgery, and when she woke up after it, “I felt like I was going to die.”
Sara had to undergo corrective surgery in Antalya but claims she was conscious throughout the procedure and “kept screaming” for the surgeon to stop.
She said despite her experience, she felt compelled to post a positive review online for the clinic in an effort to get her issued a certificate fit to fly and allowed to return home.
“People are dying,” Sarah told ITV News.
“I’m devastated, I’m totally devastated. I’ve missed time with my family and my children.”
The BAAPS, which sees patients like Sarah, has begun compiling the UK’s first database of the number of corrective operations carried out in the UK after failed operations overseas.
The organisation has previously estimated the cost to the NHS would be around £15,000 per person, but stresses costs vary widely depending on the type and extent of treatment needed.
The organisation, which represents Britain’s plastic surgeons, shared the first six months of data collection with ITV News and said the number of people needing NHS treatment is rising every day.
Since November last year, 78% of corrective surgeries carried out in the UK were to people who had undergone cosmetic surgery in Turkey.
BAAPS chief executive Mark Pacifico told ITV News that they were “just scratching the surface” of the real numbers of patients needing treatment and feared waiting lists were reaching record highs, putting further strain on an already strained health service.
The return of patients needing orthodontic treatment from overseas surgery places a “huge burden and a huge financial burden” on the NHS, said Mark Pacifico, chairman of BAAPS.
In the four years up to 2022, 324 patients required surgery after returning from abroad, including Turkey, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.
Ms Pacifico told ITV News that one of the many problems was that the availability of medical advice and support for people wanting to travel abroad was “being drowned out and trivialised by the amount of paid promotion and glitzy advertising within the beauty tourism market itself”.
He added: “We are not trying to stop this, we are not in a position to stop it and this is not our purpose.”
“Our aim is to raise awareness, improve safety and ultimately protect patients whilst reducing the strain on the NHS.”
Why do people undergo cosmetic surgery abroad?
While traveling outside the UK for cosmetic procedures is not a new phenomenon, BAAPS says the so-called “Zoom boom” during the pandemic has led to an increase in the number of people seeking cosmetic procedures. As the UK battles a cost-of-living crisis, BAAPS believes increased awareness of being on screen has led to more people seeking cheaper procedures overseas, resulting in a surge in demand for cosmetic procedures.
There are also a number of sites that offer luxury accommodation before and after planned cosmetic surgery abroad, and several sell surgery ‘packages’ allowing patients to have several procedures in the same visit. One prominent trend in the beauty tourism industry is the ‘mommy makeover’, where new mums can book a series of procedures such as abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, facelift and liposuction in Turkey for a cost of between £6,000 and £8,000.
The adverts are flashy, making going abroad for treatment seem like a five-star holiday, and have come under scrutiny from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ASA has sanctioned several companies whose advertising “deemphasised” the act of going for a cosmetic treatment, with one company previously using the term “summer sale” to advertise a range of treatments at discounted prices.
“We know that more and more consumers are considering traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery due to cost and accessibility, and while many may be happy with the results, there are still inherent risks. That’s why it’s so important to ensure advertising of these services is not misleading or irresponsible – and this is a top priority for the ASA,” an ASA spokesperson told ITV News. “Advertisers targeting British people need to ensure they comply with the code, even if the service is not based in the UK. They must not take lightly the decision to have cosmetic surgery and cannot promote prescription medicines such as Botox. “We are aware of an increase in advertising of these services targeted at UK consumers and are prioritizing action to protect consumers from misleading and harmful advertising in this sector.”
“Earlier this year, we banned two adverts promoting cosmetic surgery in Turkey that downplayed the decision to undergo surgery, pressured consumers into buying and misleadingly omitted information about pre-consultations.
“Since then we have thoroughly investigated overseas cosmetic surgery advertising. We are concerned by what we found and as a result have launched several further investigations which are still ongoing.”
“The clear message to people is: do not have cosmetic surgery in Turkey” – Labour’s Kevan Jones, who has backed calls for a crackdown on advertising of cosmetic surgery abroad.
Responding to the figures, Labour MP Kevan Jones warned that these were “just the tip of a huge iceberg”, exposing an industry where “predominantly women are being slaughtered at the hands of these surgeons”.
Jones says he has been raising the issue with the help of activists for years. “The government seems indifferent to the terrible harm being caused to individuals and ignoring the cost to the NHS of correcting these botched surgeries. To protect individuals and the NHS, the government needs to act now.” ITV News contacted the Department of Health for a response to the figures collected by BAAPS. A spokesperson said: “All cosmetic surgery has risks and can affect people’s health, and safety standards in other countries may not be as high as in the UK.” “We strongly advise anyone considering cosmetic surgery abroad to find out about the standards and qualifications that apply in the country they are travelling to. They should ensure that sufficient insurance is arranged and that they will receive appropriate aftercare in the UK if complications arise.” Now the Foreign Office is advising people to look into travelling to Turkey for “medical tourism”.
“The standard of medical facilities and care available can vary widely around the world. We are aware of 24 British nationals who have died after receiving medical treatment in Turkey since January 2019,” the agency said on its website.
“An outbreak of botulism linked to weight loss treatments in Istanbul and Izmir was reported in February 2023. More information on botulism in Turkey is available on TravelHealthPro.”
If you’ve been affected after undergoing cosmetic surgery abroad and would like to share your story with ITV News, email yourstory@itv.com
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