People are being warned to steer clear of ‘bargain basement’ Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedures in the run-up to Christmas – no matter how ‘enticing’ they look.
Prospective punters are being ‘lured in’ by cut-price all-inclusive packages including 25% discounts along with hotels and flights for under £3,000.
But NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said that although they are ‘enticing looking offers’, the reality is that ‘these bargain basement cosmetic procedures are potentially deadly’.
It comes following a spate of deaths and medical complications arising from botched surgeries, with the health service regularly having to treat patients when they return home.
Earlier this month an inquest heard how a mum-of-three died after she was subjected to a catalogue of poor care when she underwent ‘Brazilian butt lift’ surgery in Turkey.
Demi Agoglia, 26, from Salford, Greater Manchester, was said to be ‘conscious about the way she looked’ and was insistent on undergoing the BBL procedure which sees fat taken from elsewhere on the body and injected into the hips and buttocks.
She died in a hospital in Istanbul on January 8 just three days after the operation.
Bolton Coroner John Pollard ruled the medical cause of death was a microscopic fat embolism in which tissue leaks into the bloodstream.
BBL surgery has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures as the fat injected into the buttocks can lead to a pulmonary embolism, which is a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs that can be fatal.
Other serious side effects include the skin infection, cellulitis, as well as lumpy scars around the area of surgery.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has advised its members not to carry out BBL surgery, which the NHS says has increased the risk of people undergoing unsafe procedures abroad.
The health service said overseas clinics have been at the forefront of botched cosmetic procedures in recent years with BBL surgery ‘costing as much as 70% less than in the UK’.
Sir Stephen said: ‘At a time when NHS staff have never been busier, the last thing they need is patients turning up at their door with medical complications following a BBL from an unregulated surgeon overseas.
‘While many people’s social media feeds will be full of enticing looking offers in the run-up to Christmas, the reality is these bargain basement cosmetic procedures are potentially deadly.
‘BBLs have the highest death rate of all such treatments, and all to often it is left to the NHS to repair the damage and taxpayers to foot the bill.
‘The NHS will always be there for those who need it but it should not be left to deal with the consequences of botched BBLs.’
The minister of state for health (secondary care), Karin Smyth, added: ‘For too long, cowboy clinics have been causing immeasurable damage to people in the search for an unrealistic, ‘beach-perfect’ body.
‘I am determined to protect people and the NHS and will be outlining plans soon to crack down on these rogue operators in the UK.
‘I urge anyone considering any cosmetic procedure, whether home or abroad, to do your research. Find a safe, reputable and trusted practitioner. If it feels too good to be true, then it probably is. A cheap deal is not worth risking your life over.’
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