Complications after overseas surgeries cost NHS £1.8 million

Almost half of patients who travelled abroad for cut-price cosmetic surgery returned home with serious complications such as splitting wounds, tissue death and sepsis, a new study has revealed.

The medical tourism industry is estimated to be worth more than £20 billion, with surgery packages abroad often marketed at prices up to 80% lower than procedures in the UK.

But if there are complications following the surgery patients can face difficulty accessing follow up support and plastic surgeons in the UK have warned “a cheaper operation can end up becoming a very expensive complication.”

A study from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) analysed almost 200 cases of patients treated in the UK after undergoing cosmetic procedures overseas.

Nearly three in four patients required medical procedures or surgery after returning home, while almost half needed an operation under general anaesthetic to correct complications.

The most common problems included severe infections, wounds splitting open, tissue death, nipple loss and fluid collections requiring repeated treatment. Tragically, one patient died from a pulmonary embolism.

However, the NHS is footing the bill, which between September 2022 and 2024 is estimated to have cost about £1.8 million - approximately £5883 to £9328 per patient.

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Source: The Independent, 7 July 2026