'I went to Poland for a tummy tuck and nearly died'

An increasing number of "cosmetic tourists" are travelling abroad for surgery, only to require emergency treatment on their return to the UK, medical professionals have warned. In one case, a botched procedure almost cost a woman her life.

When Emma Bestall flew abroad for cosmetic surgery, she believed her life would be transformed.

Instead, she nearly lost it.

She had travelled to Poland for a tummy tuck and liposuction costing £3,000 – about a quarter of the price she had been quoted in the UK.

Warning: contains graphic images.

The mother-of-three had worked hard to lose 7st in weight, but she had a lot of loose skin and "just wanted to feel good" about herself.

The clinic she chose was recommended by a client at the hair and beauty salon she runs in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, and reviews on Facebook seemed positive.

Looking back, the 37-year-old says alarms bells should have started ringing when she arrived for a consultation with a surgeon that lasted "all of five minutes", before being prepped for surgery.

"The next thing I knew, I woke up screaming in pain," she recalls.

Soon after returning home to Lincolnshire, her tummy "started to open itself up".

Ms Bestall went to A&E, where doctors told her she had developed a severe infection and would need emergency surgery.

If she had waited any longer, she would "probably not be here".

"I could have lost my life. I could have left my kids without a mother."

Ms Bestall is one of an increasing number of "cosmetic tourists" who have returned home with botched procedures that require further treatment in the UK, according to a consultant plastic surgeon based in Lincoln.

Matt Smith says he is seeing one or two patients a month who have suffered problems after procedures abroad.

They include emergency cases seen on the NHS, with some coming in straight from the airport.

Often they have an infection or sepsis, but he has also seen patients with extruding breast implants and wound complications.

"Some of them are very ill," he says. "Some have needed intensive care."

Others have had procedures abroad but are disappointed with the results and come to see him at the private Circle Lincoln Hospital.

"They've had cosmetic surgery to make them feel better about themselves, but often that has left them with some functional problems – pain, discomfort, all sorts of issues," Mr Smith says.

"And cosmetically it's not great either, so they're looking for correction and that often is quite tricky."

While prices abroad can be attractive, patients who end up with botched results might have to pay for reconstructive or revisional surgery in the UK.

"That is going to be challenging, it's going to be more expensive sometimes than their original surgery."

Mr Smith says the problem has increased over the past few years.

"It's now commonplace, rather than unusual, which is a tragedy.

"Some of them need quite a lot of surgery," he adds. "Some need to be looked after in a specialist intensive care setting.

"That's quite a cost to the NHS."

Following her procedure in September 2021, Ms Bestall was in and out of hospital for three months. And while most of her physical scars have healed, the mental ones have not.

"I think it will always affect me. I was in a very dark place," she says.

"I thought I was going to lose my business because my clients were going elsewhere.

"My body was disgusting, it looked awful. I just hid myself for a long time.

"But I'm finally getting there. I'm taking care of myself, I'm going to the gym. I'm in a good place."

She warns that some young women are desperate for cut-price surgery and "are going to go and have it done".

She advises people to ensure they research thoroughly, adding: "I didn't Google the surgeon's name. If I had, I'd have found a lot online that was quite negative."

Mr Smith says the marketing and advertising surrounding cheap cosmetic surgery, especially on social media, is "endless", despite publicity around the dangers and poor outcomes.

"These people are pestered for cosmetic surgery for cheap prices, for multiple procedures and it's shocking. It really shouldn't be allowed."

He recalls one case in which the patient of a colleague died after a procedure abroad went wrong, and he warns others considering travelling abroad that it is not worth the risk.

"It's not just about the price," he says. "It's cheap because they're cutting costs."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, advice is available from the BBC Action Line.

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