A post on Instagram shows the backside of a woman in tight blue leggings, with her lower body taking up most of the frame. The words “Seductively sexy curves ahead… Ready to turn heads and break hearts?” are in the caption. It’s from a company offering Brits the chance to get a Brazilian butt lift while enjoying a luxury holiday abroad.
The ad is one of thousands on social media promoting cosmetic surgery tourism by companies in Turkey to residents of Britain, including gastric band surgery, hair transplants and Brazilian butt lifts (BBL) – a process where fat from elsewhere on the body is injected . the buttocks – in a trend that has raised safety concerns among doctors in Britain.
Guardian analysis of Facebook’s ad library found almost 2,700 ads promoting only BBLs since May 2022. Many used a similar format: advertising the trips as part of a vacation.
It has become such a problem that the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has issued a warning to suppliers of cosmetics abroad, laying out strict rules for promoting them. The watchdog said it had recorded an increase in adverts targeting UK consumers for these services, with many examples of breaches of advertising rules.
Hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, workforce shortages and a chronic lack of social care capacity, the UK healthcare system is under acute pressure. Private healthcare payments are being made in record numbers, including up to £3,200 to have a cataract removed and £15,075 for a new hip, amid growing frustration over NHS waiting lists.
Hundreds of thousands choose to go abroad. The Office for National Statistics estimates that 248,000 UK residents traveled abroad for treatment in 2019, up from 120,000 in 2015.
Turkey is the number one destination. In 2022, the country welcomed 1.2 million people for healthcare procedures; Medical tourism will bring £2 billion into the country every year.
When it comes to cosmetic surgery, social media and reality TV shows like Love Island have promoted a certain aesthetic. People are keen to improve their appearance, but at a lower price than what is available in the UK. In June last year, when Love Island aired, searches for ‘turkey teeth’ – slang for dental veneers obtained during a cosmetic holiday to the country – reportedly increased by 10,000% overnight. It came after contestant Jess Harding described her type as a “pretty boy with turkey teeth”.
As a result, advertisements are increasingly appearing on Instagram and Facebook to appeal to consumers. But experts are concerned.
Nora Nugent, the vice-president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: “Turkish clinics advertise package deals including hotel and flights, and patients see what seems like a reasonable package. But you’re not supposed to promote it as a holiday or downplay what it’s about. The idea is not to downplay the risks and advertise these operations as holidays.”
She added: “It’s not meant to be glamorous… or to promise unrealistic results like guaranteed breast size.”
The ASA advises that advertisements should take into account that linking surgery to a holiday may trivialize the decision to undergo the procedure.
The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) – the industry body responsible for the UK’s advertising codes and administered by the ASA – has also started stepping up scrutiny to identify and tackle irresponsible advertising. Shahriar Coupal, director of CAP, said: “Every year many people go abroad and have positive experiences of undergoing cosmetic surgery. But as more companies advertise to UK customers, we see more and more examples of rule breaches. This has to stop.”
One advertisement from Clinichub – a company that promotes itself as “your trusted health tourism agency in Turkey” – which launched in January, says: “Transform with confidence through BBL, breast surgery, tummy tuck, rhinoplasty and more. Experience the pinnacle of service where your trip is not just a procedure, but a luxurious stay in five-star hotels, surrounded by the enchanting beauty of Istanbul.” The Clinic Hub has not commented.
In another post published in February by Dr. Süleyman Özer, who advertises online as “Turkey’s Best Doctor,” was asked to consumers: “Wouldn’t you like to feel happy too?” It continues: “With modern technology and reliable surgical methods, you can achieve the look you have always dreamed of.” The ad also includes a photo advertising BBLs, tummy tucks and rhinoplasties at 30% off. Özer did not respond to attempts to contact him for comment.
In 2022, the ASA upheld a complaint about an email advertisement for cosmetic surgery that stated a procedure could improve well-being and skin condition, increase energy levels and help customers get more sleep.
Health Secretary Maria Caulfield said: “All cosmetic procedures carry risks and this is an important step in cracking down on irresponsible advertising targeting vulnerable people in Britain.”
At least 25 British citizens have died during medical tourism trips to Turkey since January 2019, according to the Foreign Office. BBLs carry the highest risk of all cosmetic procedures: at least one death occurs for every 4,000 procedures.
Last year, British government officials met with their Turkish counterparts after the death of a woman raised concerns that people may underestimate the risks of cosmetic surgery abroad. Melissa Kerr, 31, from Gorleston in Norfolk, traveled to the private Medicana Haznedar hospital in 2019 for buttock augmentation surgery. She died in hospital on the day of surgery.
Nugent welcomed the ASA warning over tourist advertisements for cosmetic surgery, but questioned how enforceable action by the UK advertising watchdog would be against companies based abroad “and outside their jurisdiction”.
She said: “These ads are having a big impact, especially on Instagram and especially with younger patients as they use these platforms to research procedures… There are also private Facebook groups with past and future patients. Companies have set them up and people are asking to become members. They are also organized for British patients, and it is another way in which social media influences decision-making when it comes to cosmetic surgery.”