Horrifying reality of Turkey surgery - rotting breasts, stump teeth and 25 dead
The saying "pain is beauty and beauty is pain" has been around for decades, but the old sentiment has now taken on a chilling new reality.
Millions are going to extreme lengths in a bid to achieve what is in their eyes, 'the perfect look' - with devastating results. Cosmetic surgery was historically reserved for the rich and famous, however in recent years, budget procedures abroad have become increasingly tempting to thousands of self-conscious cash-strapped Brits.
The lucky ones return home with new teeth, hair, and figures, but some tragically don't return home at all. And with a taboo surrounding plastic surgery, many travel overseas without telling their loved ones, only for them to find out when it's too late.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimated that the number of people travelling abroad for surgery almost doubled over four years, with 248,000 UK residents choosing the option in 2019 compared to 120,000 in 2015.
Despite the serious nature of the procedures, appointments can be secured almost instantaneously, with patients choosing to skip lengthy NHS waiting lists to pick from the plethora of clinics overseas, which promise the same results. The success stories are peppered with those of horror - patients left deformed or in agonising pain after botched operations, and those who have died as a result.
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'Zoom Boom' and affordability
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said last year it believes the sudden surge in overseas surgery is a result of the 'Zoom Boom', which describes how the nation became more conscious of their appearances after seeing themselves on screen all day during the pandemic.
Turkey in the Middle East in particular has become a mecca of affordable cosmetic procedures. Clinics there can charge less for their services as rent and medical facility costs are much cheaper than in the West. While the exact same surgery can cost from around £7,000 in private UK hospitals, over there, you can expect to pay 30 to 70 per cent less.
In a UK private hospital, gastric sleeve surgery - which involves the insertion of a silicone band around the stomach so people feel fuller sooner - costs £8,000 to £10,000, but in Turkey it can be as little as £2,500. A nose job in the UK could set you back around £4,000 to £7,000 but in Turkey, it can be from £3,000 including transfers and hotel. The cost of liposuction in Turkey can come in at around £1,500 to £3,000, compared to UK prices of £5,000 to £12,000.
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The 33-year-old claims she was left with 'dead' breast tissue and a 'gaping wound' in her stomach after several procedures costing £13,000 in February 2023. She claims she has had nine NHS operations to repair the damage.
At the end of last year, a Mirror probe revealed how a Turkish medical company was offering cheap plastic surgery in time for Christmas, with deals promoted at an event in Hull. The reporter enquired about having a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL).
In a 30-minute consultation, the patient co-ordinator admitted to having no medical credentials, yet brazenly outlined a treatment plan. She was offered a discount on flights and advised to book by January to avoid price rises, saying the operation could be done as soon as December 22. Professor Mani Ragbir, President of the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) said he was "very, very concerned" about the findings.
Hidden dangers
There are indeed strict standards, as the Turkish Ministry of Health regulates practitioners and hospitals, while its health professionals must join recognised associations before being able to practice. So where do things go wrong?
With a hot climate all year round, many subpar clinics offer their expertise as part of package holidays in the sun - luring Vitamin D-deprived patients and their families with luxury accommodation. The trend of using glossy adverts with discounted prices for multiple procedures at once has alarmed the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), who have argued some companies have trivialised going on the operating table.
There have also been instances of crossed wires, perhaps down to a language barrier, with patients leaving hospitals with 'enhancements' they never asked for - or having to leave early after finding that aftercare comes at a further charge.
BAAPS told ITV News last year about a 26-year-old woman who was left severely traumatised after she travelled abroad for a procedure, only to end up with a facelift that she never asked for. In another case, a man travelled to Turkey for a hair transplant, and the following day was given a special offer for eyelid surgery, which resulted in complications.
Chloe Rose was left with dead oozing nipples following her breast uplift procedure in Turkey (Collette Pickering)There can be a lack of consultation with rogue clinics, unlike in the UK where patients usually discuss operations face-to-face in several instances before going ahead. Personal injury law firm Irwin Mitchell says in negligence claims they have handled, they have heard from clients who quickly booked treatments over WhatsApp, or have made bookings over Microsoft Teams, with limited opportunity to understand the local health care system or to see if the facility in which they will undergo their treatment is as it is presented in the promotional material provided.
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As the NHS warns, no surgery is risk-free. Complications can happen after surgery in the UK or abroad. Air travel after major surgery increases your risk of a blood clot, which can be life-threatening. It's recommended you do not fly for five to seven days after procedures such as breast surgery and liposuction and seven to 10 days after facial cosmetic procedures or tummy tucks.
Patients have ended up returning from Turkey only to need NHS treatment after all, with problems ranging from oozing wounds to life-threatening sepsis. Alarming figures by BAAPS show the number of people requiring hospital treatment after procedures abroad has shot up by 94 per cent in three years, with operations in Turkey accounting for more than three-quarters of those.
Professor Omar Khan, Consultant Bariatric Surgeon at Ashtead Hospital, part of Ramsay Health Care UK, recently featured on the BBC's Getting Thin Quick documentary, which highlighted the dangers of bariatric surgery in Turkey. Speaking with the Mirror, he warned: "The key issue with any form of surgery is safety - for patients travelling abroad for weight loss surgery, there may be real question marks over the quality of pre-operative assessment and the lack of follow-up care offered to these patients.
"Rare, but serious complications can occur and tend to make themselves known 1-2 weeks after surgery - anyone post-surgery must be able to be reviewed and treated by their surgeon, especially in the event of complications. Not only this, but these patients do require long-term follow-up, and someone to coordinate their care in the longer term - all things that are absent in patients undergoing surgery abroad."
Fixing botched surgery cost the NHS £1.7million in 2022, up 35 per cent from 2021. According to the Foreign Office, more than 25 people from the UK are known to have died following medical procedures in Turkey since 2019. In recent days, Morgan Ribeiro's name has tragically been added to the list.
Between 2020 and 2022, cosmetic negligence abroad enquiries at Irwin Mitchell doubled year on year - increasing from less than one per month to multiple per week, remaining pretty stable since. Partner Cheryl Palmer-Hughes told the Mirror: "The heartbreaking reality is that with every call, we have a feeling of déjà vu.
"We often have a good idea of how the call will go, from how the surgery was booked, to the nature and method of communication with the clinic, to the process of consent to surgery and aftercare received. Sadly, whilst these clients embarked on such procedures or treatments to make positive changes to the way they look or feel, the opposite has happened.
"They have been left seriously injured, often permanently, and deeply traumatised by the experience. Devastatingly, we also represent clients whose loved ones have died as a result of something going wrong during or as a result of their surgery."
In the past year, just some of the reasons people have contacted the firm following their surgery include a procedure performed on them that they haven't consented to; more has been removed or changed than they consented to and these changes are irreversible; they have contracted a serious infection which has led to emergency treatment in the UK.
In recent weeks and months, the Mirror has reported on some harrowing cases of Turkey surgery gone wrong. Here, we take a look at what happened...
Tragic deaths
Morgan Ribeiro shared this TikTok before going to Turkey for gastric sleeve operation
Morgan Ribeiro with Jamie BrewsterMorgan Ribeiro, 20, who was bullied for years for her size, died after weight loss surgery in Turkey. She fell ill on the plane as she flew home with her partner Jamie Brewster. Her small intestine had allegedly been cut accidentally during the £2,500 gastric sleeve operation, and Morgan died on January 13. The surgeon has denied this.
After the operation on January 5, she fell ill with septic shock on the plane home and the flight had to be diverted to Belgrade in Serbia, where she died. Her mum Erin Gibson, 44, had no idea Morgan was going abroad to go under the knife.
She had travelled from her home in South London with Jamie, 19, after not wanting to spend years on an NHS waiting list. It was the doctors in Serbia who told Jamie that Morgan's small intestine had been cut.
They had removed 10cm of her small intestine and hoped she would pull through. But on January 9, Morgan suffered a heart attack and she died four days later at 4am.
The Mirror traced the doctor who performed surgery - Dr Serkan Bayil - who said her death had nothing to do with the operation and claimed she died due to an embolism on the plane. "Her vital signs were good when she left us," he said at the private hospital. "The most fearful thing in these operations is leakage and she had zero leakage and because of this I think she had an embolism."
Responding to the claims, Morgan's mum Erin said: "That is preposterous. It wasn't an embolism. It was a laceration. It had been cut, we were told during the operation... I was told that she was showing signs of fever immediately because her body was already going into septic shock. She had broken down food leaking into her bloodstream. She was already on the way down when she was still in that hospital."
Melissa Kerr died following complications after a BBL op (Natasha Kerr / JustGiving)Dr Bayil, a respected surgeon for 20 years, said the Turkish authorities visited him on Monday to begin investigating the case and took away all reports but that he is allowed to continue working in the meantime. He also expressed his sorrow at Morgan's death, but insisted Turkey was a safe place to have surgery.
Her tragic end to life follows the passing of Sophie Hunt, who "wanted to look a million bucks." The mum-of-two, from Northampton, died in March 2022 after travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, for liposuction and a tummy tuck. Two days after the procedure, the 34-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest.
Last November, the UK Government said they would meet with Turkey officials regarding regulations around medical tourism following a series of deaths. Melissa Kerr was another, who died at a private hospital at the age of 31 in 2019 following Brazilian butt-lift surgery. A coroner raised concerns she and others were not given enough information before travelling abroad.
Rotting breasts
Chloe Rose's family raised money for her to be flown home on a medically assisted flight (Collette Pickering)Chloe Rose, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, was left fearing for her life after travelling to Turkey for a breast uplift procedure. Her sister-in-law Collette Pickering, 27, shared the gruesome story as she urged others to cancel their planned surgeries.
As a 36EE, 22-year-old Chloe had been conscious of her fuller bust for years and decided to go under the knife to help relieve her insecurities and her back pain. But when she came around from the operating table, she was left screaming in pain, convinced she was going to die after it went 'horribly wrong'.
As graphic images show, her nipples turned into oozing, open sores. Collette claims surgeons removed too much skin, resulting in her circulation being cut off and her nipple dying. Chloe says an interpreter was included in her package, however, she had to rely on Google Translate once in the hospital with no English-speaking doctors, which proved difficult.
She claims cannulas were poorly inserted and needles were left lying around the room. The blood drained from her was allegedly sometimes left in the toilet bowl, and her stitches were reopened without her understanding why, and without pain relief.
The duo say her wounds were only restitched halfway, with Chloe left with open wounds. They claim that it was only after speaking to the British Embassy that Chloe was given antibiotics to treat the infection, however, her health didn't improve.
She was able to return home on a medical-assisted flight after the family set up a fundraising page. Once she was on UK soil, she was blue-lighted to hospital and is now receiving treatment for necrosis - the death of body tissue.
Stump teeth
While it may be less evasive, another popular cosmetic procedure Brits fly out to the country for is veneers, now dubbed 'Turkey Teeth' after garnering a notorious look. Countless individuals in the hope of Hollywood smiles have been left miserable with "shark teeth" after they were ground down to stumps.
In one case, a couple who flew to Turkey and spent £4,000 on veneers warned others not to follow in their footsteps after they were left in "constant pain" and were barely able to eat or drink. Jade Tushingham, 32, and her partner Kelly Tushingham, 30, travelled to Antalya, in September 2022 to have veneers after being lured in by the cheaper prices.
Jade and Kelly Tushingham after having their teeth filed down (Courtesy Jade Tushingham / SWNS)But the money-saving decision quickly became a "nightmare" which they said has "ruined their lives". The pair each had to have their teeth filed down, which they say caused them "instant pain".
Temporary veneers had to be kept in for five days before they could get their permanent ones and in the meantime, their shaved-down stubs made it difficult for them to eat or drink due to the sensitivity. When they finally returned for their permanent veneers, Jade said there was "blood everywhere".
Four months after the trip, they were still in constant pain despite them looking visually "lovely". No dentists in the UK would "even touch them" to get them fixed, and have said they might have to fly back to Turkey in a bid to get them fixed.
Last summer, model Jack James decided to fork out £3k on a set of veneers and travelled to Istanbul for the procedure. Initially, the 22-year-old was happy, but shortly after he suffered "terrible breath" and bleeding, and booked an emergency dentist appointment.
Jack claims he was quoted £20k to refit the veneers in the UK, so returned to Turkey to start again. "They took all my teeth and the abscess out and put temporary teeth in. It took a few weeks for the infection to clear," he said.
Full of regret, he added: "It was like something out of a horror movie." But some dentists in Turkey believe they are doing Brits a favour as they flee the UK to be seen. Dentakay boss Dr Gülay Akay told the Mirror in a separate investigation: "The increase we have seen in the number of patients coming to Turkey from the UK is really quite incredible, and shows no sign of slowing.
"There is no doubt that the crisis in NHS care is driving British people to seek treatment in other countries. We have seen some real horror stories, including one patient who had lost almost all of his teeth in a traffic accident but was unable to get treatment on the NHS."
Irwin Mitchell's Ms Palmer-Hughes added: "We know that a major reason for people travelling abroad is the cost; it's most often far cheaper to have surgery abroad than privately in the UK. Yes, all surgery carries risks but there can be greater risks when going abroad."
They advise people thinking about surgery to follow several steps - including discussing any planned procedures with your GP, to consider communication once at the hospital, to consider taking out specific travel and/or medical insurance for the procedure and warn about written contracts. More of their tips can be viewed on their website here.
The UK Foreign Office warns travellers about medical tourism in Turkey. "The standard of medical facilities and available treatments can vary widely globally," their website states. "We are aware of over 25 British nationals who have died in Turkey since January 2019 following medical procedures. There were reports of an outbreak of botulism linked to weight loss treatments performed in Istanbul and Izmir in February 2023."
If you are considering travelling to Turkey for medical, surgical or dental treatment, the FCO states you should:
- read more advice on going abroad for medical treatment and elective surgery
- discuss plans with your UK doctor before going ahead with any medical procedures abroad
- do your own research - private companies have a financial interest in arranging your medical treatment abroad and the information they provide should not be your only source of information
The Turkish Ministry of Health provides a list of its approved medical providers on the HealthTurkiye website. This website is for information only. FCDO does not make any recommendation of or endorsement as to the competence or suitability of any individual or facility. It is important that individuals make their own enquiries and due diligence checks.
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