Beware ‘sun, sea and surgery’ cosmetic tourism packages, experts advise

British College of Aesthetic Medicine launches checklist as part of ‘vet it before you get it’ campaign

Cosmetic tourism is often sold as a package of sun, sea and surgery, but experts have said travelling overseas for procedures can end in infections, disfigurement and death.

Nora Nugent, a consultant plastic surgeon and former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said travelling to countries such as Turkey for surgery came with myriad risks – and not just on the operating table.

“Actually, the risks start from the moment you step on the plane to after you return home, and until you’re fully healed and you’re out of the clotting risk time,” she said, noting that travel itself could increase the risks of clots. A lack of in-person aftercare is also a concern.

The British College of Aesthetic Medicine has launched a checklist as part of its “vet it before you get it” campaign, intended to help potential patients make better and safer choices about overseas cosmetic surgery.

As well as setting out red flags to look out for, the campaign suggests those seeking cosmetic surgery independently verify a surgeon’s qualifications, determine what emergency facilities are available near the chosen clinic and find out what insurance the practitioner has in place.

Nugent said a major driver for patients seeking procedures in countries such as Turkey was their relative cheapness, but that prices were high in the UK as a result of factors including the higher cost of living and higher fees for medical indemnity and insurance.

Chrissie Wolfe, the founder and chief executive of Lupa Law, a specialist medical negligence practice, said there could be a host of difficulties in making a claim should a procedure go wrong overseas, and that even if compensation were awarded, it could be far lower than in the UK.

“Turkey is the most popular destination by far for cosmetic surgery, but it is absolutely the most difficult from a legal perspective,” she said. “When something goes wrong, it’s incredibly difficult to put right.”

She said those looking to undergo cosmetic surgery abroad should be wary of clinics selling bundles of procedures or time-limited deals, noting that one patient had gone to Turkey for a tummy tuck but was upsold a “mummy makeover” that included a breast uplift.

“She came back and had a very severe infection,” she said. “She ultimately ended up losing most of her left breast and the entire right breast on a procedure that she didn’t even want in the first place.”

Wolfe said the marketing of travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery as a glossy holiday was problematic. “It shifts the patient’s mind away from the seriousness of what they’re actually embarking on,” she said.

It is not the first time overseas cosmetic surgery has sparked warnings. The then health secretary, Wes Streeting, urged caution over such procedures in 2024.

Data, however, suggests growing numbers of residents in Great Britain are travelling overseas for medical treatment. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, about 524,000 did so in 2024, including cosmetic procedures, up from 431,000 in 2023.

Brazillian butt lifts (BBLs) have the highest risk of death, but other overseas procedures have also left patients with problems.

Nugent cited the case of a woman who had developed abscesses and infections in her neck after a facelift. She needed long-term antibiotics and drainage procedures and was left with significant scarring.

Another woman in her late 20s had a breast lift and labiaplasty abroad after pregnancy. She ended up with a loss of tissue on one breast, her implant exposed and over-reduced labia. As a result she needed corrective surgeries, including to redo the lifts and improve the labiaplasty.

“But you can’t get things back to how they were,” said Nugent.

A third woman underwent a tummy tuck overseas, she said, but the wound came apart and required surgical cleaning. She has been left with scarring and a dip in her tummy.

“These are three examples of patients who suffered fairly horrific complications from procedures that were meant to improve how they looked and how they felt about themselves and have ended up doing exactly the opposite,” Nugent said.