The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has provided an update on its stance on cosmetic tourism.
Mr Simon Withy, ex-president of BAAPS, attended a meeting with the department of health in Turkey, after which BAAPS concluded that, ‘Cosmetic tourism is hurting the industry, and the UK and Turkey are trying to find a way to readdress the balance.
Reputable Turkish surgeons are also concerned by the significant number of patients returning to the UK with bad complications.’
BAAPS states that you cannot advertise cosmetic surgery in Turkey, but there are no restrictions in the UK, leading to the popularity of cosmetic tourism growing. This advertising is what has made Turkey a destination of choice for cosmetic procedures, BAAPS says.
This comes following a Foreign Office warning to Britons travelling for treatments, after 25 people were reported to have died in Turkey following procedures since January 2019.
Mr Marc Pacifico, BAAPS president, commented, “BAAPS has been warning for many years about the risks and dangers of cosmetic tourism, and we are concerned about this practice being actively promoted and permissible in the UK. Risks include the variation of standards of hospitals and medical centres in different countries, a variability in oversight and regulation of medical establishments and variations in clinical standards.”
