Full of clients who have undergone unsuccessful surgeries in Turkey...

A medical clinic has warned of an "epidemic" of patients left with medical issues after unsuccessful cosmetic surgery in Turkey. Kate Monteith-Ross, who runs The Clinic by La Ross in Medway City, has noticed an increase in referrals, including one patient suffering from infected wounds after several surgeries, which she described as "monstrous" operations.

The patient became infected after surgery. Kate, the director and head nurse, reported that the patient, a 40-year-old woman from Medway, was discharged from a clinic in Turkey the day after the operation, despite needing a blood transfusion after "massive bleeding," and was left alone. "She doesn't even know what happened during the surgery," 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 postoperative care, no wound care. "She was very ill, very weak. She came to this clinic and couldn't stand up straight, she hadn't washed, she was in complete distress, she was crying, she was in shock. She was deathly pale from blood loss. "What she went through was excessive. In our country, we would never perform such a level of surgery the way they did."

The wounds were sealed after the surgery. She said that the patient had wounds on her back after "360-degree liposuction," and she also underwent a "tummy tuck" and "breast augmentation." "They did the lift with an implant," she added. "In our country, if you were to have a lift, you would be left with it for 6-12 months, if not longer, before they would place the implant. They did everything at once, and she didn't have a very good aesthetic result. "It's absolutely cruel. What she went through was monstrous. It's monstrous to perform such a surgery. You can perform such a surgery, but you need to have a recovery period and postoperative care that corresponds to that surgery."

The patient herself, who does not wish to reveal her identity, also published a statement warning others about the risks. "I found myself in a dangerous situation and had to undergo an emergency blood transfusion, which left me very weak," she recalls. "I couldn't communicate with anyone, as no one spoke English. I felt lonely and scared. Everything hurt, and I couldn't understand anything. I was left with the wrong compression material, pain, incorrect medications, and notes in Turkish that I couldn't understand."

After seeking help from the National Health Service, she turned to The Clinic for wound care. She said she didn't know what the final situation would have been without the help of the nurses at the clinic. She added, "I had no idea what my next steps would be after the surgery.

The medical clinic warns of a growing "epidemic" of patients.

According to Kate, this case is typical for patients she has seen returning from Turkey in recent years, and she says their numbers are growing. Although the clinic was initially an aesthetic practice, Kate decided to expand their medical services. She now holds a license from the Healthcare Quality Commission. Since then, she has noticed that cases continue to increase, culminating in a spike in referrals earlier this month - 17 patients sought help in just one week. She believes the growth is linked to trends on social media and the influence of "influencers" on these platforms.

“It’s really strange,” she added. “In Turkey, there are certain groups of surgeons who target young influencers and offer them free surgery to promote their clinic. You see all these videos of them getting into luxury cars, drinking cocktails the night before the surgery, having a great time. They undergo surgery with their friends, so they travel to Turkey in large groups and have the procedure together. At one point, surgery was a private matter; now it’s something to be proud of. The problem lies in the ethical side of this. They don’t need it. They’re 30 years old and getting facelifts. On what planet does a 30-year-old need a facelift? It’s ridiculous. Or a 19-year-old girl getting weight loss surgery. It’s just wrong. When will this stop? Just because something is available doesn’t mean you should rush to do it. We received a call from someone asking for advice – 11 of her friends flew to Turkey to get gastric banding together, just because they wanted to lose weight, so they’re undergoing serious gastrointestinal surgery to reduce their stomachs just because they want to shed a few pounds. In my day, there was Weight Watchers.”

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