My clinic is full of victims of failed surgery in Turkey.....

A health clinic has warned of an "epidemic" of patients left with medical problems after botched plastic surgery in Turkey. Kate Monteith-Ross, the clinic's director and head nurse, has seen an increase in referrals, including a patient who suffered infected wounds after several operations described as "monstrous" surgery.

Patient got infections after surgery. A Medway woman in her early 40s was discharged from a practice in Turkey the day after surgery, despite needing a blood transfusion after "massive bleeding" and being left alone on her way home. "She doesn't even know what happened during the operation," Kate said. "All she knows is that she woke up - she said she felt like she was dying. "We tried to contact her surgeon but he didn't respond. He just ignored her and blocked her. So she had no support, no post-op care, no wound care. She felt very ill, she was very weak. She came to this clinic and she couldn't stand up straight, she hadn't bathed, she was absolutely terrified, she was crying, she was traumatized. She was pale from blood loss. "What she suffered was excessive. In our country we would never have done that level of surgery the way they did it." She said the patient had wounds on her back after a "360-degree liposuction" as well as a "tummy tuck" and "breast augmentation." "They did a lift with an implant," she added. "In our country, if you had a tummy tuck, they would leave you in for six to 12 months, if not more, and then do an implant. They did it all at once and she didn't have a very good aesthetic result. "It's absolutely brutal. It's monstruous surgery. It's monstrous to do that kind of surgery. You can do that kind of surgery

The patient herself, who did not want to be named, also released a statement warning others of the risks. "I found myself in a life-threatening situation and had to have an emergency blood transfusion, which left me very weak," she recalled. "I couldn't contact anyone as no one spoke English. I felt alone and scared. Everything hurt and I couldn't understand anything. I left with the wrong compress, pain, wrong medication and notes in Turkish that I couldn't understand."

After seeking help from the NHS, she went to a wound care clinic. She said she did not know what the outcome would have been without the help of nurses at the clinic. She added: "I was completely in the dark with everything and didn't even know what my next steps would be after the operation.

For Kate, this case is typical of the patients she has seen returning from Turkey in recent years, and she says their numbers are growing. Because the clinic was originally an aesthetic practice, Kate decided to expand their medical services. The clinic is now licensed by the Healthcare Quality Commission. Since then, she's seen a gradual increase in cases until a spike in referrals earlier this month, with 17 patients contacted in one week. And she believes the increase is due to social media trends and the influence of social media "influencers."

"It's really strange," she added. "There are some surgical groups in Turkey that attract young influencers and offer them free surgery to promote their clinic. You can see all these videos of them being picked up in luxury cars, they're sitting around drinking cocktails the night before surgery, all having fun. They're doing the surgery with friends, so they're traveling to Turkey together. You'll find a group of eight people, all flying to Turkey in a big group and having surgery together.

"Surgery used to be a private affair, now it's something to be proud of. I have a problem with the ethics of that. They don't need it. "They're 30 years old and they're getting a facelift. On what planet does a 30-year-old need a facelift? That's ridiculous. Or a 19- or 20-year-old girl gets weight loss surgery. What the hell is that? When is this going to stop?

"Just because something is available doesn't mean you have to run out and get it. We got a call from someone asking for advice - 11 of her friends all flew to Turkey to do a gastrobandage together just because they wanted to lose weight, so they're doing major gastrointestinal surgery to cut off half their stomach just because they want to lose a few pounds. In my day, there were diets."

She also added: "It's presented on social media as a glamorous experience, but it's not reality. I'm sure there are people who have had exceptional experiences in Turkey. That's not to say that every Turkish surgery is bad - there will be exceptional surgeons, but unfortunately people need to be more cautious before booking anything."