A string of Turkish health firms with historic allegations of British botch jobs – and even death – were openly promoting their deals at a cosmetic tourism fair, to the fury of past patients.
Turkish hospital giant Medicana, which recently became the first of its kind to launch a clinic in the UK, was one of dozens of companies at a huge cosmetic health conference in the capital on February 14.
Mirror reporters – one male and one female – went undercover at the event to find out exactly how potential patients were sold their cosmetic surgery dream.
Melissa Kerr, 31, died at the private Medicana Kadikoy Hospital – part of Medicana Health Group – in Istanbul in 2019 during Brazilian But Lift (BBL) surgery.
After Melissa’s death a coroner raised concerns she and others were not given enough information to make a safe decision before travelling abroad.
We talked at length with representatives from Medicana about possible cosmetic surgeries and we were reassured that with the new UK arm of Medicana – based in Winchester – any procedures that go wrong can be corrected on home soil while avoiding the NHS.
In a follow up conversation with our reporter via WhatsApp, a Medicana rep boasted of its “100% success rate”, insisting: “We never had any operation that goes wrong.”
In that conversation our reporter was told she was a “perfectly fitting” candidate for a £5,000 tummy tuck and liposuction – despite being a healthy weight for her height by NHS standards, standing at 5ft 5in tall and weighing only 9.5st.
In the follow up conversation, our reporter expressed interest in booking a ‘mummy makeover’ – which involves multiple procedures.
A representative named Gül introduced herself as an ‘International Patient Responsive of Medicana Hospital’ and asked her to send photos.
The reporter was also asked to provide her age, height, weight and to confirm whether she’d had any chronic disease or previous abdominal surgery, and received confirmation in just three hours that she was a fit for the surgery.
In August 2024, Medicana, which boasts 16 hospitals in Turkey, opened a private hospital in Winchester, Hants.
Its operations manager for the UK and Europe openly told our undercover reporters that one reason they launched the hospital was to provide after care and corrections for British patients who had used one of its Turkish counterparts.
“Since we have a branch in the UK, if you have any problem you can go to the hospital in Winchester and they can take care of you,” his colleague said.
“Especially in UK if you have an operation in another hospital they will say they don’t want to touch you because you had it done in Turkey.
“So you can feel more comfortable and safe.”
Asked if that was why the Winchester branch was opened – for aftercare from Turkish operations – the operations manager said: “Sure. And also because of the NHS, the long waiting list and the obstacles with that.
“(In the Turkish hospitals) We do everything – from hair transplant to kidney transplant.”
He added they were ‘not welcomed with open arms’ by the UK government, because, he claimed, it sees Medicana as a competitor to the NHS.
“They have been getting taxes for years and the NHS is failing,” he added.
At the event, Medicana bosses told undercover Mirror reporters that they still carry out the BBL’s but because of its “high mortality rate” they no longer advertise the procedure and prefer to avoid it.
However its British marketing arm from the Winchester hospital actively told us, when we enquired about a BBL with them in the UK, that their hospitals in Turkey do still do the procedure, while also telling us that there are plans to expand Medicana in the UK.
BBL’s are not illegal in the UK but they are unregulated, and are seen as the most dangerous and life-threatening form of cosmetic surgery.
Although Medicana is the only Turkish hospital to have opened in the UK, a number of companies claimed to have premises here and others were due to open, signalling the strength of the UK market for private Turkish clinics.
At least 28 British people have died as a result of cosmetic procedures in Turkey since 2019, and many more have been left with long lasting problems after treatment there.
Katie Inglis, from Coventry, said she remains “traumatised” after spending £6,000 on new teeth in 2022 with Attelia Dental, which was advertising its services at the conference.
She says is still in daily pain after the treatment, which has left pieces of the mould used before surgery embedded in her gums.
She said Attelia, based in Antalya, did not refund her treatment.
Attelia, which is also opening a premises in Fulham, South West London, this month, insisted to us at the conference it had not had any problems with its surgery in the past.
Katie said it was “disgusting” they had not admitted to what had happened to her, adding: “It also doesn’t surprise me.
“They weren’t admitting anything.
“I’m in pain every single day still. On Saturday it was so bad I was crying my eyes out.”
Katie, a 32-year-old recruitment consultant, had 13 root canals and 24 crowns fitted during the procedure in April 2022.
She says every specialist she has seen since has told her how badly the crowns were fitted.
“The day after the surgery I sent Attelia pictures when I got home of my gums because they were green,” she said.
“The day after I sent them another one and was advised to pull the mould out with tweezers.
“A day hasn’t gone by since the procedure where I haven’t had to take a painkiller.”
Katie has gained a following on TikTok through videos in which she tries to warn others against the dangers of dental work in Turkey, and is now saving to get corrective surgery in Harley Street, London.
In 2020 Luke Horsfield, 26, from Bradford, told how the Istanbul-based Clinic Centre botched his £1,250 hair transplant.
He claimed surgeons couldn’t speak English and took too many follicular units from his head, leaving him scarred and in pain.
Our investigators spoke to Clinic Centre, who also claimed they had never had any previous incidents.
They also said they had a centre in London as part of their ‘aftercare package’.
With two nights accommodation at a hotel and the transplant, it would cost £1,500 in Turkey and £3,000 at their UK operation, they told us.
Luke, 30, from Bradford, said he was unsurprised that reps failed to mention his case when asked about complaints.
He told the Mirror: “All I can say is they’re liars and if you look online there’s so many bad reviews about them […] It’s crazy out there and they’ll continue to get away with it.”
President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and plastic surgeon Dr Nora Nugent said of our findings: “There are several areas that fall below the standards that we would expect in the UK in terms of incentivising patients with discounts, immediate offers or recommendations on the basis of meeting people at a stand at an expo without full medical assessments by a qualified doctor or dentist.
“[Also the] denial of having problems – when previous patient issues have been widely reported in the media and known to have taken place at those clinics.”
Farhad Rokni, European & UK Regional Manager for Medicana Health Group said it does not advertise, promote, or recommend BBL due to “well-documented risks”.
“As I personally mentioned during our conversation at the expo, patient safety is our highest priority, and for that reason, we have made a conscious decision to refrain from offering BBL as part of our primary services,” he said. “When asked directly about this, I clearly stated that we do not recommend it.”
Regarding our reporter’s consultation with Gül via WhatsApp, Mr Rokni said: “No patient is accepted for surgery solely based on an online exchange of messages […] final approval requires an in-person consultation and pre-operative testing upon arrival.
“At no point did Gül or any other representative bypass medical protocols or suggest that a surgery could proceed without doctor approval.
“Furthermore, the ‘100% success rate’ reference was not meant to imply the absence of risks, but rather to express our confidence in the comprehensive pre-operative safety measures we take to ensure patient well-being.”
He added: “We take immense pride in our experienced medical team and advanced facilities. While no medical procedure is without risk, Medicana strictly adheres to international healthcare standards to provide the highest level of patient care.”
A spokesperson from Attelia said the procedure on Katie was carried out with her ‘full consent’ and that it was ‘conducted entirely in line with the patient’s wishes and approval’.
“At Attelia, we strive to maintain continuous communication with our patients, providing support at every stage of their treatment.
“Our primary goal is to offer a transparent, ethical, and patient-centred service, ensuring the highest level of comfort and care.”
A spokesperson for Clinic Center said: “We clearly stated that complications might occur after the procedure since it’s a medical intervention.
“Due to patient rights we can not comment about it.”