British Experts Warn Against 'Sun, Sea and Surgery' Cosmetic Tourism Packages

Cosmetic surgery abroad is often sold as a package of sun, sea and surgery, but experts have warned that 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 risks not limited to the operating table. She said the risks start from the moment a patient steps on the plane and continue until they are fully healed and out of the clotting risk period, noting that travel itself can increase the risk of clots.

Nugent also pointed to the lack of in-person aftercare as a concern for patients who have surgery overseas.

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 that people 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.

Wolfe said Turkey was the most popular destination by far for cosmetic surgery, but absolutely the most difficult from a legal perspective, adding that when something goes wrong there, it is incredibly difficult to put right.

Wolfe advised people to 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, came back with a very severe infection, and ultimately lost most of her left breast and the entire right breast.

Wolfe said the marketing of travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery as a glossy holiday was problematic because it shifts the patient's mind away from the seriousness of what they are actually embarking on.

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.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, about 524,000 residents of Great Britain travelled overseas for medical treatment in 2024, including cosmetic procedures, up from 431,000 in 2023.

Experts said Brazilian butt lifts have the highest risk of death, but other overseas procedures have also left patients with problems. Nugent cited a woman who developed abscesses and infections in her neck after a facelift, needed long-term antibiotics and drainage procedures, and was left with significant scarring.

Nugent gave two further examples: a woman in her late 20s who had a breast lift and labiaplasty abroad after pregnancy and ended up with a loss of tissue on one breast, her implant exposed and over-reduced labia, requiring corrective surgeries; and another woman whose tummy tuck wound came apart overseas and required surgical cleaning, leaving scarring and a dip in her tummy.