Brits considering 'cosmetic cowboy' surgery abroad to be warned of risks on TikTok

People considering cosmetic procedures abroad will soon be given advice on how to avoid risks by influencers.

The Department of Health and Social Care is set to launch a campaign alongside TikTok to help people make safer choices. It follows the government announcing a major crackdown on “Wild West” cowboy cosmetics in the UK in a victory for the Mirror’s surgery campaign.

More people are using social media apps like TikTok to research potentially risky operations - like hair transplants and dental work - abroad as they are often cheaper or more readily available than in the UK but are often presented with slick marketing campaigns that do not highlight the dangers of the surgery. It comes amid a major change to drink-driving limit under huge shake-up of road safety laws plan.

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Health Minister Karin Smyth said: “Too many people are being left with life-altering injuries after going abroad for medical procedures, without access to proper advice or safeguards. Often drawn in by deals too good to be true and promoted by influencers – some of whom have never been to the practice in question.

“By partnering with TikTok, we’re helping people make safer, more informed choices before they go under the knife – wherever that may be. We’re determined to protect patients, ease pressure on the NHS and make sure taxpayers are not left paying the price when things go wrong.”

The Mirror is demanding that all beauty clinics offering potentially dangerous procedures, including ‘high risk’ treatments such as BBLs, liposuction, surgical facelifts and surgical eye lifts, are licensed by the Quality Care Commission.

The new government campaign warns that when it comes to cosmetic surgery abroad, the lowest price can come at the highest cost. It urges people to think beyond the slick brochures and marketing, and to consider clinical standards, complication risks, and language barriers.

It will suggest potential patients speak to a UK doctor, take out travel insurance, and steer clear of package holidays that bundle in procedures. The medics will provide a check list to go through before considering booking a procedure abroad: research thoroughly, check the clinic’s regulation and the surgeon’s credentials, know the full cost, and understand the aftercare.

The online campaign is part of wider government efforts to curb medical tourism. Work is also underway to stop events in the UK that promote procedures abroad and to improve patient care from initial consultations to post-surgery recovery.

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