Britons seeking cheaper cosmetic surgery abroad are costing the NHS up to £20,000 per patient when procedures go wrong, according to new research that warns the true financial burden may be far higher.
A study published in BMJ Open found that patients who travel overseas for cut-price operations such as tummy tucks and breast augmentations often return to the UK with severe complications, requiring lengthy hospital stays and complex treatment. Popular destinations include Turkey and parts of eastern Europe, where lower prices have fuelled a surge in so-called medical tourism.
Researchers reported that some patients developed life-threatening sepsis leading to multiple organ failure, while others required intensive care, prolonged courses of antibiotics and specialist treatment after undergoing surgery in poorly regulated facilities. In several cases, operations were carried out in substandard theatres by surgeons with limited experience.
The study’s authors, from Cardiff and Bangor universities, analysed 655 patients treated by the NHS between 2011 and 2024 following complications from elective surgery abroad. Treatment costs ranged from £1,058 to £19,549 per patient, with women accounting for 90 per cent of cases and the average age being 38. Turkey was the most common destination, linked to 61 per cent of cases reviewed.
However, the researchers warned that the figures likely underestimate the true cost to the NHS. Their analysis did not include emergency surgery, follow-up GP appointments or wider community care, meaning the overall bill could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds more. They also highlighted a major lack of reliable data on how many UK residents seek surgery abroad and how many suffer complications as a result.
“We still do not know how many people resident in the UK go abroad for elective surgery or how many subsequently experience complications,” the authors said. “Without this data, we cannot fully understand the levels of risk that people seeking surgery abroad are taking.”
The findings come amid growing concern over the rapid rise in medical tourism, driven in part by social media advertising and influencer endorsements. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously said he would seek to improve safety for Britons travelling overseas for cosmetic procedures, urging people to be wary of deals that appear “too good to be true”.
Several high-profile deaths have intensified scrutiny. In 2024, Kaydell Brown, 38, from Sheffield, died after undergoing multiple cosmetic procedures in Turkey. The previous year, Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor, died after suffering major artery trauma during a gastric sleeve operation. More recently, Anne Towlson, 58, was found dead at her home after returning from Turkey following a tummy tuck, liposuction and arm surgery, with reports of severe post-operative wounds.
Experts say the study underscores the hidden risks and costs associated with overseas cosmetic surgery, both for patients and for the UK’s already stretched health service.
