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The surge in Scots travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures such as hair transplants and breast implants has sparked a warning from the country’s health watchdog.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) urged people to avoid heading overseas in a bid to skip NHS queues or save on going private amid potentially catastrophic consequences from botched operations.
Jetting off to countries such as Turkey, Brazil and Thailand for gruelling plastic surgery such as facelifts and tummy tucks can see patients needing emergency treatment when they get home.
Surgery abroad carries risks including higher rates of infection and post-operative complications, as well as going under the knife in settings with lower standards than in Britain, HIS warned.
Its chief inspector of regulation, Laura Boyce, yesterday warned: ‘Our advice to the public is to avoid engaging in health tourism as evidence consistently shows increased risks of complications when medical procedures are undertaken in countries and settings with variable clinical standards and limited post-operative follow-up.’
Her stark words came amid an ever growing push by foreign hospitals to get Scots to sign up for treatments abroad.
Information days are held to persuade people to travel for procedures including weight loss surgery and dental work.
Foreign clinics may offer cheaper rates than are found in the United Kingdom, five-star hotel stays, and even ‘VIP packages’ which include air fare and transfers as part of the fee.
There has been a rise in Scots travelling aboard for gruelling plastic surgery
Carol Keenan collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest after following surgery in Turkey
Slick social media videos promote the surgery as a holiday abroad rather than a serious medical intervention which needs to be carefully considered.
HIS, the regulator for private healthcare clinics north of the Border, said there were a raft of risks for those travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures.
It is estimated around 1,000 Scots a year seek help for botched cosmetic operations.
Carol Keenan, 54, had a tummy tuck, a Brazilian butt lift and an abdominal repair procedure to make her stomach more defined.
But following her surgery in Turkey, as she travelled to a local hospital to receive a fit-to-fly-home letter, she collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
Ms Keenan, a grandmother from Glenrothes, Fife, died on April 20, 2022.
She had saved £7,000 for the surgery, less than half of the cost in the UK, and had initially only booked two operations but was offered the abdominal repair on the day of the procedures for free.
Her family later said they ‘knew her death was due to the surgeries’ because the autopsy stated that if she had not had them ‘she’d still be here’.
Ms Boyce said: ‘Clinics registered and regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland can be found on our website and patients can use this information to support their decision making in finding a quality assured service.’
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