The UK government has said it will meet with Turkish officials to discuss the regulations surrounding cosmetic tourism, following multiple cosmetic surgery-related deaths.

Turkey is increasingly being known as a cosmetic capital, with more than 1.2 million foreigners visiting the country for cosmetic procedures in 2022.

The appeal for cosmetic tourists choosing Turkey to have their procedures done appears to boil down to affordability.

This is due to Turkey’s favourable exchange rate, and its competitive healthcare sector.

According to the foreign office, at least 25 Brits have died following medical or cosmetic procedures in Turkey since January 2019.

Melissa Kerr, 31, from Norfolk, died at the private Medicana Haznedar Hospital in Istanbul during a Brazilian butt-lift (BBL) in 2019.

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Following her tragic passing, the coroner expressed concerns that Kerr may not have been given an adequate level of information about her surgery.

An inquest into Melissa Kerr’s death heard that BBL procedures carried the highest risk of all cosmetic surgery procedures.

Other UK inquests have also been held into the deaths of Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, from Kent, who died after having liposuction in Turkey and Leah Cambridge, from Leeds, who also travelled to Turkey for a BBL.

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BBL-related deaths can be due to fat being injected into large veins which then travels to the major organs and blood clots.

Other BBL-related complications include severe bacterial infections such as MRSA, necrosis, scarring, wound ruptures and abscesses.

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