taxpayers last year spent \u00a31.7million<\/a> on fixing Brits botched by cosmetic surgery\u00a0carried out abroad.<\/p>\nAn audit by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons \u2014 shared with MailOnline \u2014 showed 111 Brits needed emergency NHS care after returning from places like Turkey in 2022 to go under the knife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surgeons reported their patients were lured in by what looked like\u00a0‘bargain’ tummy tucks and boob jobs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOthers were deemed too unfit for surgery in the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut some patients were left with flesh-eating bacterial infections and implants bursting through their skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Others endured potentially deadly blood clots that required urgent NHS treatment, sometimes within just days of arriving back in the UK.<\/p>\n
Some Turkish clinics provide extreme transformations that surgeons in the UK would never dream of performing, either because the procedure is illegal in Britain or is considered too risky.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Responding to the findings from The News Movement, Dr Alex Karidis, a consultant plastic surgeon in the UK, said: ‘I don’t think it’s ethical. I don’t think it’s right.<\/p>\n
‘Surgery – that’s not a product that you sell\u2026 You’re potentially playing with people’s lives.’<\/p>\n
Dr Karidis said a cosmetic surgeon in the UK who offered discounts and incentives would be ‘investigated straightaway and possibly suspended.’<\/p>\n
He added: ‘It’s a wild west out there, they can do whatever they want. They don’t play by the same rules.’<\/p>\n
Mr Harris acknowledged that while there are\u00a0‘reputable’ surgeons in Turkey,\u00a0it was important for people to do their ‘own research’ and to think ‘very carefully’ before booking cosmetic surgery abroad.<\/p>\n
He added: ‘We really need to be informed before making these decisions which will have a lifelong impact on you. This is not like having a haircut or buying some new clothes or going on holiday, this is a big decision that will affect the rest of your life.’<\/p>\n
\n
The red flags of getting cosmetic surgery abroad<\/h3>\n\n
All surgery carries risk, but it is important to do your research before hopping on a plane to get cheap plastic surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although it can cost less than getting surgery in the UK, you need to bear in mind that the safety standards may not be the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Holiday packages\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYou should be cautious of any website that sell cosmetic surgery as part of a holiday, the NHS warns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some websites sell the idea of sightseeing alongside hotels with breakfast included.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NHS advice adds that if you are looking at holiday packages make sure you have a consultation with a surgeon and don’t just meet a salesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The health service adds that you should not pay to see a surgeon you have never met.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Royal College of Surgeons of England also echoes the NHS’s concerns and advises to not agree to cosmetic surgery before meeting the surgeon and visiting the hospital.<\/p>\n
UK plastic surgeon Veerle Rotsaert said: ‘Travelling long-haul overseas to have surgery done, followed by no proper aftercare, that’s where often things go wrong.<\/p>\n
‘Often third party agencies sell surgery without any surgeon ever seeing the patient in person and having a proper consultation until it is actually surgery day.’<\/p>\n
Extra costs<\/span><\/p>\nMany of the surgeries offered overseas in countries such as Turkey are more affordable than private clinics in the UK.<\/p>\n
However, there could be hidden costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Royal College of Surgeons of England urges people to consider the cost for additional flights and hotel stays for future corrective, or touch-up procedures.<\/p>\n
It also warns patients to consider what might happen overseas if they pay ahead of time but change their mind before the operation as their right to a refund could vary in different countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Choosing the right surgeon<\/span><\/p>\nSurgeons and clinics are regulated differently in different countries and standards can vary.<\/p>\n
Before traveling abroad for surgery the NHS says you should ask if the surgeon is fully trained in the surgery you want and how long they have been practicing for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The surgeon should also be fully insured to carry out the surgery you want, says the Royal College of Surgeons of England. It suggests asking to see details of the surgeons insurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is also vital you have a proper consultation with your surgeon before you consent to having the surgery, experts warn.<\/p>\n
Risks of flying\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFlying and having major surgery increases your risk of getting a blood clot, which can be life threatening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a result, the NHS warns people should wait five to seven days to fly after procedures such as breast surgery and liposuction and wait seven to 10 days to fly\u00a0after facial cosmetic procedures or tummy tucks.<\/p>\n
However, some surgeons suggest waiting between two to six weeks before flying depending on the procedure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Rotsaert explained: ‘This is because first of all, you want patients to stay relatively close to their surgeon in case of any immediate post-op issues.’<\/p>\n
He added: Secondly because of the deep vein thrombosis\/pulmonary embolism risk associated with the act of surgery, it’s aftermath, as well as prolonged immobilisation.’<\/p>\n
Drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol and walking about during your flight can help circulation, but this doesn’t completely remove the risk of a blood clot especially having major surgery, the British Association of Plastic Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aftercare<\/span><\/p>\nFollow up care after your surgery is an important part of your treatment. But traveling abroad can make it more complicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before getting surgery outside of the UK consider how long it would take you to travel back to your surgeon if there is a complication, says the Royal College of Surgeons of England.<\/p>\n
Make sure you have a contact for a named doctor that can deal with any complications, rather than a helpline, experts warn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You need to also make sure the clinic will deal with any problems and that they will help if you are not happy with your outcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In many cases the NHS will not help you unless you have a serious complication which requires emergency or life-saving support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Source: NHS, BAPRAS and Royal College of Surgeons England.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pressure tactics deployed by Turkish cosmetic surgery clinics were today exposed by a shock investigation.\u00a0 An undercover reporter, posing as a 24-year-old wanting a Brazilian bum lift (BBL), contacted nine providers across Istanbul. Within hours, she was offered time-sensitive deals with up to 30 per cent knocked off the total fee and incentives to book […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3220,6271,23,7245,1469,1346,8602,4171,4484,6302,3515,9564],"acf":{"source_article":"","image_credit":""},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5773"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latestnews.top\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}