British plastic surgeons have warned of the unsafe ‘short cuts’ taken by Turkish cosmetic surgey clinics, which they say likely explains the astonishingly cheap prices of procedures they offer.
Experts have voiced suspicions about high-risk procedures such as nose jobs and weight loss surgeries priced £6,000 less than they would be in the UK.
The use of old, riskier equipment, a lack of aftercare and scrimping on insurance that protects patients when something goes wrong may explain the shortfall in price, surgeons told MailOnline.
This website has identified at least five Turkish clinics offering Brazilian Butt Lifts, gastric bands, nose jobs and breast augmentations that lure customers in with prices five times cheaper than they are in the UK.
The findings come after the death of Janet Savage, 54, who suffered fatal injuries on the operating table in a Turkish clinic while undergoing a gastric sleeve weight loss procedure.
She paid £2,750 for the treatment, which included flights to Turkey. This is a fraction of the £5,000 to £15,000 for a similar procedure in the UK.
MailOnline has found rhinoplasties and Brazilian Butt Lifts advertised on various Turkish clinics’ websites for around £1,500 and £2,000 respectively.
Janet Savage, 54, (pictured) who travelled to Antalya, Turkey, for a gastric sleeve operation died on the operating table, a recent inquest heard
Hayley Dowell, 38, (pictured) died after paying £7,000 for a ‘premium’ cosmetic surgery package including a Brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck in Turkey in October 2023
Kaydell Brown, 38, (pictured) died after paying just £5,400 for a ‘mummy MOT’ – a package deal involving a BBL, tummy tuck and boob job – in Turkey in March
In comparison, such operations can cost upwards of £7,000 and £8,000 in Britain.
Boob jobs, including lifts and augmentations, were listed at as little as £2,000 compared to upwards of £8,000 in the UK.
Tummy tucks were priced by some Turkish as costing just under £2,500, five times less than the upwards of £10,000 such an op can cost in Britain.
Meanwhile, MailOnline found bariatric surgery, the same type of weight-loss procedure that killed Mrs Savage, priced from £2,500.
Many clinics, such as major Turkish hospital chain Medicine Park, offer a package that includes accomodation and flights, meaning the operation itself is even cheaper.
One advertisment on another clinic’s website claimed: ‘Don’t regret paying over the odds for exactly the same treatment.’
But British surgeons warned that ultra-cheap prices are a ‘red-flag’.
Charles Durrant, a consultant plastic surgeon at the Ad Nova in Portsmouth said British surgeons are more expensive as they are covered by costly insurance, which can provide financial protection of something goes wrong.
Mother-of-two Kaydell, who died after cosmetic surgery in Turkey, is pictured with her two sons
Liposuction, Brazilian butt lifts, eye colour-changing laser treatments and hymenoplasties are all offered in clinics across Turkey
Glamorouus Ms Savage suffered fatal injuries on the operating table in a Turkish clinic
Hayley Butler, 40, (pictured) died from complications after travelling to Turkey for gastric sleeve surgery
This is just one of many ‘catches’, with cheap procedures, he said.
‘The chances are they’re not using the most up to date equipment which potentially means a higher risk of complications, and a less desirable result.’
It’s for these reasons that extraordinary price differences are a ‘red flag’, he said.
‘If you’re racing to get to the lowest price possible, short cuts are going to be taken. You’re going to be less skilful, have less effective equipment and take short cuts with the aftercare.’
‘There’s a lot of truth to the ”you get what you pay for”.’
And he highlighted such a false economy could ‘end up costing your life’.
‘There have been several deaths in Turkey and there haven’t in the UK, now that’s a pretty obvious statistic.’
He added a lesser known aspect of the equation was what he called ‘collusion’ by the Turkish government in luring Brits to have surgery in the country.
‘Cosmetic tourism is such a big financial income for the government that all these pop-ups will get government funding,’ he said.
‘The government will subsidise the building of the clinic, they’ll subsidise the hotel stays, flights for patients, the list goes on.’
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has previously estimated the cost of treating such botched patients back in Britain is about £15,000 and with over 300 known patients, this puts the bill at about £4.8million.
Some Turkish agencies, like this example from Medicine Park, tried to tempt Brits with ‘limited offers’ for major surgery
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons analysed 324 cases of Brits needing medical treatment or corrective surgery after having gone under the knife overseas since 2018
Michelle Heath (pictured) appeared on This Morning in April to talk about her horror plastic surgery which has left her scarred for life
Turkish clinics offer packages including VIP airport transfers in ‘luxury vehicles’ and 5-star hotel stays with breakfast
It comes as research suggests that four in five patients who were botched in cosmetic operations overseas admitted to being lured in by budget prices.
The survey of over 100 patients, conducted by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), found almost 60 per cent paid less than £5,000 for their procedure.
Of the total, two thirds said they would not make the same decision to have the procedure given a second chance, nearly half expressed ‘outright regret’ over the ordeal.
Nora Nugent, BAAPS president, said: ‘Potential patients need to understand the risks involved with traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery, beyond just the financial savings.’
Concerns over the rise and risks of budget surgery overseas have been raised for years.
At least 25 Brits are known to have died during or shortly after surgery in Turkey in recent years.
Many more have been injured, with some requiring life-saving care upon return to the UK for complications like infections.
While all surgery carries risks, campaigners and surgeons have urged Brits to thoroughly do their research before opting to go under the knife overseas.
