Almost half of patients who travelled abroad for cut-price cosmetic surgery returned home with serious complications such as splitting wounds, tissue death and sepsis, a new study has revealed.
The medical tourism industry is estimated to be worth more than £20 billion, with surgery packages abroad often marketed at prices up to 80 per cent lower than procedures in the UK.
But if there are complications following the surgery patients can face difficulty accessing follow up support and plastic surgeons in the UK have warned “a cheaper operation can end up becoming a very expensive complication.”
A study from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) analysed almost 200 cases of patients treated in the UK after undergoing cosmetic procedures overseas.
Nearly three in four patients required medical procedures or surgery after returning home, while almost half needed an operation under general anaesthetic to correct complications.
The most common problems included severe infections, wounds splitting open, tissue death, nipple loss and fluid collections requiring repeated treatment. Tragically, one patient died from a pulmonary embolism.
However, the NHS is footing the bill, which between September 2022 and 2024 is estimated to have cost about £1.8 million - approximately £5883 to £9328 per patient.
The medical professionals behind the study say this figure represents only a fraction of the actual burden because many complications are managed by emergency departments, breast units, general surgeons, GPs and community services without being recorded in a national database.
Plastic surgeon, Mike Tyler, who co-authored the study, explained an anonymous database was put together by surgeons who had come across “distressing” incidents after patients returned home from getting cosmetic surgery abroad.
Surgeons treating returning patients said many were being accepted for surgery despite significant health risks, some were doing multiple procedures at the same time and other patients were flying home too soon after surgery.
In some cases, surgeons questioned whether similar complications occurring in the UK would have triggered formal investigations.
Mr Tyler told the Independent one risk he has seen is people “staking their procedures”. For example, some patients had a tummy tuck and abdominoplasty and some liposuction all at the same time, which he suggests raises the risk of infection.
“There were people who were admitted to intensive care with sepsis, people who needed necrotic tissue removed after tummy tucks and breast reductions,” Mr Tyler said.
“Reporting surgeons did question the surgical judgement that had occurred, for example, facial aesthetic procedures in young people and liposuction and abdominoplasty in people who are pre-diabetic with with BMIs of over 40,” he added.
He explained that the higher a person's BMI is the higher the risk of general complications such as infections and pulmonary embolisms - a life-threatening complication where a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your lungs.
In many cases patients received only remote consultations before surgery and returned without adequate recovery or follow-up care - a cost of opting for cut-price surgery, Mr Tyler suggests.
The study revealed 76 per cent of complications followed surgery in Turkey and a tummy tuck was the most common procedure associated with complications.
In 38 per cent of cases people had multiple cosmetic procedures performed during a single trip, 37 per cent suffered wounds that broke down or failed to heal properly, 28 per cent developed infections and 20 per cent suffered tissue necrosis, where skin or fat dies.
Surgeons in the UK stress that many overseas surgeons provide excellent care and that millions of procedures are performed safely worldwide every year. But urge people to check surgeons accreditations and if aftercare is available before traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery.
BAAPS president Nora Nugent said: “People are often sold a dream online, luxury hotels, dramatic before-and-after photos and prices that seem too good to ignore. What is rarely shown are the patients who return home with serious infections, open wounds, dead tissue or life-threatening complications.
“Cosmetic surgery is real surgery. It carries real risks wherever it is performed. When complications occur overseas, patients often find themselves back in the UK without access to their original surgeon, leaving the NHS to provide emergency treatment and ongoing care.”
Read MoreUnitedHealth says audit clears it as Medicare payment probe intensifies
Delayed hospital discharge costs continue to soar amid bed crisis
Urgent measles vaccine warning for one million children after tragic deaths
75% of Americans want Trump to reverse US aid cuts over Ebola outbreak, poll finds
The endometriosis ‘hormone fingerprint’ that will pave the way for rapid diagnosis
Parasite that causes ‘explosive diarrhea’ continues to spread across the US