Brits are traveling to Turkey in large numbers for cosmetic procedures, from dental work to breast surgery, despite the known risks. The Mirror spoke to a group of eight friends from Bournemouth who had all traveled to Istanbul to get new 'Turkey teeth'.
Dental Tourism on the Rise
Lidz Jolly, 52, explained: 'I only had two molars left for chewing and they didn't meet properly. I've had them out and I'll be coming back in three or four months to have it finished, depending on when I've saved the money.' The group was met after the initial removal of teeth, awaiting the second part of the operation to fix new veneers or full artificial teeth onto the remaining 'pegs'.
Paul Moss, 53, had five veneers and implants for £4,500. He said: 'I had the implants put in last night but I wouldn't be able to afford to have this kind of thing done in England.' Jody Hall, 45, paid £4,500 to finish a full mouth of implants. He had traveled to Turkey 18 months earlier but had to save up to complete the surgery. 'I had my teeth taken out in a different part of Turkey and I was supposed to come back sooner but I just didn't have the money,' he told the Mirror.
Shazza Gibbons, 47, said: 'I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and get them done. It's terrible trying to get an NHS dentist at home.' However, patients have reported difficulty finding an NHS dentist willing to treat them after extensive dental surgery abroad, as NHS funding means they sometimes make a financial loss treating complex aftercare cases.
Risks and Complications
Despite the popularity of cut-price cosmetic surgery in Turkey, there are significant risks. A 2022 study found that the most common complications after cosmetic surgery were wound separation and infection. Most patients presenting to the NHS with complications from cosmetic surgery had been treated abroad, with 72% in Turkey.
Laura Flemming, 29, from Dundee, underwent a breast uplift and implant as part of an Istanbul holiday package costing £3,600. She said: 'I'd lost weight and my boobs had gone smaller so I wanted to have them uplifted. It's obviously a thought that you worry it won't go well. You're doing something to your body so that's quite scary. But when you want it so much it's a risk that you take.'
The Mirror is campaigning to 'Ban the Cosmetic Cowboys' after a number of Brits contracted sepsis and some died from complications. In 2024, mother-of-five Alice Webb, 33, from Bristol, became the first person to die after a liquid Brazilian butt lift (BBL) in a UK clinic. Sasha Dean, 54, came close to death during a botched BBL at her home, with her feet turning black, developing sepsis, and being placed in a coma with a 5% chance of survival. Kaydell Brown, 38, died on an operating table in Istanbul in 2024 after traveling there for a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a BBL.
Tourism Packages and Pressure Sales
Cosmetic surgery clinics in Istanbul partner with major hotel chains to offer tourism packages. At numerous hotels, patients bandaged after nose jobs and hair transplants were seen being ushered from clinic-branded minibuses back to their rooms. One woman in a headscarf and sunglasses was helped to walk slowly through the lobby in obvious pain.
Laura said she faced pressure sales tactics online from Turkish clinics while researching her operation. 'If you enquire they keep calling you. They would say things like 'if you book today it's at this discounted price',' she said. Her friend Kaitlin Jackson, 31, from Preston, is saving up for a tummy tuck. 'When I was younger I always wanted my boobs done but it wasn't achievable, it was something celebrities did. It was something you would do if you won the lottery but now in Turkey it is more affordable. And you're not judged as much for it these days,' she said. Laura added: 'Young people these days think 'life's too short - get it fixed'. People want to be body positive and enjoy their bodies.'
