Warning on Medical Tourism Following Fatal Butt Lift Procedure

A British woman's tragic death following a "Brazilian butt lift" procedure in Turkey has prompted the coroner to communicate her concerns to the Health Secretary.

 

Melissa Kerr, aged 31, tragically lost her life due to complications arising from the cosmetic procedure performed in Turkey.

 

Jacqueline Lake, the senior coroner in Norfolk, will be reaching out to Health Secretary Steve Barclay to express her apprehensions regarding the lack of awareness surrounding the risks associated with undergoing cosmetic surgery abroad. Melissa Kerr, described as someone who was particularly conscious of her appearance, journeyed to a private hospital in Istanbul for the procedure.

 

According to Ms. Lake, Ms. Kerr was provided with only limited information concerning the potential risks and mortality rates linked to the "Brazilian butt lift." Melissa Kerr, who had previously undergone a breast enlargement surgery a decade earlier without complications, tragically passed away at the Medicana Kadikoy hospital on the same day as the butt lift procedure in November of the previous year.

 

The cause of her death was attributed to a pulmonary thromboembolism, resulting from injected fat inadvertently entering a vein and subsequently blocking her pulmonary artery. Simon Withey, a consultant plastic surgeon tasked with preparing a report for Ms. Kerr's inquest, noted that the death rate associated with Brazilian butt lifts is likely to exceed one in 4,000.

 

A series of WhatsApp messages exchanged between Ms. Kerr and a hospital staff member prior to her trip to Turkey revealed that she had arranged to pay £3,200 in cash for the procedure. The coroner expressed her concern, stating, "An international alert has been issued to surgeons regarding the high mortality rate linked to this procedure. There has also been a voluntary moratorium on this type of procedure introduced in the UK. It appears that these precautions are not being adhered to in Turkey. The risk of our citizens continuing to travel abroad for such procedures persists, despite their lack of awareness about the associated risks."