Britons should resist the temptation to have cosmetic surgery abroad at “rock-bottom” prices in case they are harmed by substandard care, the health secretary has said.
Wes Streeting spoke out after a spate of deaths among women who had travelled to Turkey for aesthetic treatment such as a Brazilian butt lift (BBL).
An inquest this week in Winchester, Hampshire, heard that Hayley Dowell, 38, died in October last year after paying £7,000 to have the procedure, as well as liposuction and a tummy tuck.
“My strong advice to British travellers is, if the offer looks too good to be true, I suspect it is too good to be true,” Streeting said. “[People should] think very carefully before flying overseas, paying what looks like a kind of rock-bottom attractive price, because you may end up paying the consequences for years to come as a result of injuries, which in the worst cases can be life-changing.
“So I would urge before travelling abroad, think very carefully before accessing those cosmetic treatments that are currently being marketed at rock-bottom prices, but also, in too many cases, offer substandard care.”