Health experts are warning that cosmetic surgery complications, especially from procedures performed abroad or in unregulated UK settings, are placing a growing burden on the National Health Service (NHS).
At a House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee hearing, medical professionals shared disturbing findings about the dangers of cosmetic tourism and the lack of proper regulation in the UK. The testimony included accounts of botched Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), unlicensed products, and shady operators offering procedures in homes, Airbnbs, and hotel rooms.
“Crisis on the Horizon,” Say Campaigners
Ashton Collins, director of Save Face, a UK regulator of aesthetic practitioners, said there is a “crisis on the horizon” because of a legal “grey area” in cosmetic surgery regulation.
“These surgeries should not be happening on the high street or in hotel rooms,” Collins told MPs.
“They’re being done with unlicensed drugs purchased from places like China and South Korea, and administered by unqualified practitioners.”
Ms. Collins also noted that social media is promoting these dangerous procedures, often without oversight, with many so-called experts marketing to vulnerable audiences through unethical content.
Hospitals See Alarming Rise in Cosmetic Surgery Complications
Professor Vivien Lees, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said that the NHS is regularly being forced to intervene when private procedures go wrong.
“We are seeing infected implants, severe bleeding, and abscesses from clinics that are not even prepared to treat their own complications,” she said.
“These cases are overwhelming NHS plastic and breast surgeons.”
Professor Lees highlighted that as global cosmetic procedures are projected to triple in the next decade, complications will rise proportionally, creating an unsustainable workload for public health services.
Medical Tourism: A Dangerous Trend
A growing number of UK residents are traveling abroad for cheaper cosmetic treatments, especially to Turkey, where dental, weight loss, and cosmetic surgeries are offered at significantly lower prices. However, experts caution that “cheap” surgeries often come with high health costs.
According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the number of people needing hospital care in the UK after cosmetic surgery abroad has increased by 94% in just three years.
The association also revealed that half of all patients regretted undergoing surgery overseas.
BBLs: The Most Dangerous Procedure in the World
The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) involves removing fat from the body via liposuction and injecting it into the buttocks. While the procedure promises a sculpted and lifted look, it is extremely high-risk. According to the US National Library of Medicine, BBL has the highest death rate of all plastic surgery procedures.
This is due to the danger of fat being injected into blood vessels, which can lead to pulmonary embolisms and sudden death. These risks are amplified when performed by untrained individuals.
Tragically, Alice Webb, a 33-year-old mother of five, became the first person in the UK to die from a BBL in September 2025. She underwent the procedure at a clinic in Gloucestershire. In her memory, Ashton Collins has proposed a new law to limit BBLs to certified surgeons, named “Alice’s Bill”.
Cosmetic Clinics Under Scrutiny
Alice Webb received treatment from a UK clinic operated by beauticians Jemma Pawlyszyn and Jordan James Parke, a self-described “plastic surgery advocate” known on social media as the “Lip Queen”. Although Parke has a strong online presence, he is not a qualified surgeon, raising concerns over the lack of professional standards in many cosmetic clinics.
Ms. Collins emphasized that such cases are not isolated:
“If these women hadn’t gone to hospital, many would have died. And these tragedies should never have happened in the first place.”
Data Shows Rising Death Toll from Cosmetic Tourism
Data from the UK Foreign Office shows that 28 British citizens have died after cosmetic surgery in Turkey since 2019. Six of those deaths occurred in 2023 alone.
Experts warn that without urgent regulatory reform, this number is likely to grow.
NHS Leaders Call for Reform and Accountability
Medical professionals and campaigners are urging the government to:
Tighten regulations around who can perform cosmetic procedures in the UK
Prohibit surgeries in unregulated environments such as hotels or homes
Ensure foreign surgery providers are held financially accountable when the NHS must step in
Raise public awareness about the dangers of cosmetic tourism
Legislate standards for advertising and social media promotions of invasive procedures
The message from healthcare professionals is clear: the NHS cannot continue to absorb the risks and costs of unregulated cosmetic surgery, whether performed abroad or in makeshift clinics at home.
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