Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged Britons to avoid seeking cheap cosmetic surgery abroad, warning that rock-bottom prices often come with substandard care and serious risks. His comments follow a series of deaths among women who travelled to Turkey for procedures such as Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs).
An inquest this week in Winchester heard that Hayley Dowell, 38, died after paying £7,000 for a BBL, liposuction and a tummy tuck in Turkey last October. Streeting said: 'If the offer looks too good to be true, I suspect it is too good to be true. Think very carefully before flying overseas, paying what looks like a rock-bottom attractive price, because you may end up paying the consequences for years to come.'
Streeting plans to work with overseas organisations to improve safety and quality in medical tourism, but stressed the need for the public to manage risks. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, also urged caution, noting the extra burden on the NHS from treating complications of botched procedures abroad. 'It is not fair that the NHS is left to pick up the pieces of botched Brazilian butt lifts,' he said.
Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons show Turkey is the most popular destination for Britons having cosmetic surgery abroad, with 69% of patients going there. Other destinations include the Dominican Republic (7%), Brazil (6%) and Tunisia (4%). The Royal College of Surgeons of England has convened a summit to improve patient safety, and its vice-president, Professor Vivien Lees, called for mandatory certification for cosmetic surgeons.
