Warning over cosmetic surgery bargains

A group of plastic surgeons based in Scotland said people were “putting their purse strings before their health” as they searched for cheap deals through companies on the internet.

They said this money- saving tactic could backfire when companies failed to provide proper follow-up care, meaning they needed emergency treatment on the NHS or to pay for corrective surgery.

Stephen Morley, a consultant plastic surgeon based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said in the last five years they had seen an increase of at least 20 per cent in cases of patients needing further operations to deal with complications.

In one example, he said he had seen a patient who had gone to Turkey for a facelift. But following the surgery she had problems with the wound after returning to Scotland and had to have it dealt with by the NHS as an emergency.

“Problems can happen in cosmetic surgery. If you come to a surgeon who specialises in very complex procedures, we know about complications and do our best to minimise them,” Mr Morley said.

“Probably this lady had too much skin taken away to make the result look too good, but by trying to do that the surgeon had gone too far and she ended up with a bad result.”

Mr Morley said it was important that patients do their research before choosing a cosmetic surgery provider, instead of opting for the cheapest provider, which could end up costing them more.

He blamed rising complication rates on more people choosing to have cosmetic procedures – with 100,000 a year now carried out in the UK – and more companies providing trips overseas for treatment.

The surgeon said people were often drawn to companies with attractive websites and glossy adverts on television.

“Some people think that finding a cosmetic procedure is like going to the supermarket – it doesn’t matter where you go, it’s the same product,” he said.

“But plastic surgery is not like that. You want it carried out by people who will continue to be there to provide aftercare.”

Mr Morley has joined with nine other Scottish surgeons to launch Confidence Cosmetic Surgery – www.confidence cosmetic.com. The group will provide private surgery through the Nuffield Hospital in Glasgow’s West End.

Margaret Watt, chair of the Scotland Patients Association, urged people to think twice before choosing cheap treatment abroad.

“The NHS is stretched for cash, and putting things right in people who have had operations overseas is putting an extra burden on it,” she said.