Botched cosmetic and obesity surgery abroad is costing the NHS up to £20,000 per patient when it goes wrong.

Infected wounds and sepsis are just some of the complications after Brits return home from having procedures such as bariatric surgery, tummy tucks and breast enlargement. Complications mean some people need intensive care and antibiotics to tackle deadly infections. Researchers identified multiple organ failure as well as death due to hypoxic brain injury and cardiac arrest.

The Mirror has launched the campaign to stop the Wild West in cosmetic surgery in response to hundreds of unregulated clinics in the UK offering cut-price and often dangerous treatments by unqualified staff, sometimes with just hours of training.

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The new study, published in the journal BMJ Open, shows the problem of Brits being tempted abroad for cut price procedures which can cause life-changing injuries and even cost lives.

Foreign Office data shows six Britons died in 2024 in Turkey following medical procedures there, with at least six more dying in the country in the previous year.

The new research was led by Dr Clare England who is a researcher at Health Technology Wales (HTW), which assesses health technologies for NHS Wales. She concluded: "Awareness-raising campaigns and interventions are warranted to inform members of the public in the UK considering going abroad for surgery about the potential for complications.

"Those seeking medical treatment abroad should be made aware of which complications the NHS is responsible for treating, and costs for which the patient may be potentially personally liable, including non-emergency treatment."

Kaydell Brown, 38, from Sheffield, signed up for multiple surgeries but died after going into theatre in 2024.

An inquest also heard how Hayley Dowell, 38, suffered medical complications at a private clinic and died after she had a Brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck and liposuction in Turkey in October 2023.

Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor, died after major artery trauma during a gastric sleeve weight-loss procedure in Turkey in 2023.

And Anne Towlson, 58, who travelled to Turkey in April 2024 for a tummy tuck, liposuction and arm-tuck surgery was found dead at home with open wounds to her armpits and triceps.

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The research team including experts from Cardiff and Bangor universities examined 37 studies, of which 19 included complications due to bariatric surgery, 17 included complications due to cosmetic surgery, and one involved complications arising from eye surgery.

The data included 655 patients treated by the NHS between 2011 and 2024 for complications. Nine in ten were women and patients had an average age of 38. The most common destination for surgery was Turkey with 61% of patients travelling there.

Researchers calculated the costs to the NHS from people having their surgeries abroad and then needing care in the UK, with figures ranging from £1,058 to £19,549 per patient.

However these are still only a sample of the total number of NHS corrections of botched operations done abroad. The Welsh research team are calling for systematic collection of all data on NHS follow up care for operations carried out overseas.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting in 2024 issued "strong advice" to British travellers seeking Brazilian butt lifts, tummy tucks and other cosmetic treatments to think carefully before taking up offers that are "too good to be true".

Asked whether the NHS should be picking up the pieces when things go wrong, he said: "We're never going to turn people away who are in need of care but this is another pressure the NHS doesn't need.

"So I would urge Brits - before traveling abroad - to think very carefully before accessing those cosmetic treatments that are currently being marketed at rock-bottom prices."

According to the Foreign Office, anyone considering travelling to Turkey for treatment should discuss the plans with their own doctor or dentist.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Too many people are also being lured overseas for cheap cosmetic procedures, only to come home with life-changing complications that - as this report shows - end up costing the NHS thousands of pounds.

"We have launched a major drive to crack down on dangerous medical tourism and raise awareness of the risks medical tourism brings.

"The UK Government has been actively engaging with governments overseas on how to support the safety of patients who decide they wish to travel for medical treatment, and will be updating its guidance in due course."