Government partners with TikTok to warn about the risks of foreign surgery

ITV News

14 hours ago

The government has announced a new campaign in partnership with TikTok aimed at educating and warning the British public about the dangers of going abroad for cosmetic surgery.
The partnership will include content, made in collaboration with medical influencers such as Midwife Marley and Doc Tally, showing the potential risks and how to best conduct research for those determined to still pursue surgery abroad.
The new advice shared via TikTok will urge potential patients to speak to a UK doctor, take out travel insurance, and steer clear of package holidays that bundle in procedures.
It will also include a checklist to go through before considering booking a procedure abroad which includes: researching thoroughly, checking the clinic's regulation and the surgeon's credentials, knowing the full cost, understanding the aftercare, and asking the vital question - if it goes wrong, who will fix it?
Also included is a checklist for patients to consider before they book a procedure, which includes checking the credentials of surgeons, the clinic's regulations, and understanding the aftercare.
The campaign warns that when it comes to cosmetic surgery abroad, the lowest price can come at the highest cost.
The Foreign Office will also provide more detailed travel advice for those determined to travel abroad for the surgeries.
More people are using social media apps like TikTok to research potentially risky operations, including hair transplants and dental work, abroad as they are often cheaper or more readily available than in the UK.
These can often be presented with slick marketing campaigns that do not highlight the dangers of the surgery.
The government hopes partnering with TikTok will help their messaging reach those most at risk from dangerous procedures.
But Sara Platt from South Wales, who needed multiple life-saving operations after returning with open wounds from her cosmetic surgery in Turkey, says the government's TikTok campaign is "laughable".
"I think it's rubbish," she says, "how do they think doing a campaign with TikTok is going to change anything?"
Sara travelled to Turkey to have her excess skin removed after losing 11 stone following successful bariatric surgery.
She told ITV News that she looked into potential clinics and surgeons for a year and even visited one hospital as part of her research into the procedure.
Eventually she went for a company that she had seen had good reviews online and flew for her procedure in February 2023.
But Sara's surgery in Turkey left her with significant amounts of infected and dead skin tissue.
Watch ITV News investigate when cosmetic surgery goes wrong in "Britain's backstreet surgery scandal".
When she got back to the UK she spent more than eight weeks at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery and underwent nine operations to save her life and rebuild her body.
Her right breast could not be rescued and she has significant scarring.
Sara says that the government's latest attempts to educate the public about the dangers of getting cosmetic procedures abroad should include the stories of survivors of botched surgeries.
"You need to see it. You need to see the reality," she says. "I see how much we work we are doing, the survivors. That's who [the government] need to be speaking to. That's who they need to be using for their campaign."
Sara tries to warn others online about the risks of surgery abroad but says she has been banned by TikTok for posting images and videos of her body and scars.
"It's not about social media," she adds. "It's about stopping the dangerous clinics, they're leaving people in hospital beds."
The government's latest announcement is part of a wider strategy to improve the safety of cosmetic surgery and follows on from plans set out last week to tighten regulations around who can perform and receive certain types of cosmetic surgery.
The new regulations will also tighten the licensing laws on premises where these treatments are performed.
Speaking following the announcement, 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."
She said the government hoped the campaign and partnership with TikTok would help the British public make more informed choices before seeking cosmetic surgery.
As well as the TikTok campaign work is also underway to stop events in the UK that promote procedures abroad and the government is working with other countries to improve patient care from initial consultations to post-surgery recovery.
Senior Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), Professor Vivien Lees described Friday's announcement as "good news."
She said: "Too often, patients are lured by cut-price deals and glossy social media posts, only to return home with life-altering complications. The NHS is then left to pick up the pieces - sometimes in emergency situations - and often without full knowledge of what procedure was performed or by whom.
'RCS England has long called for better public education on the dangers of medical tourism. While many overseas providers offer high-quality care, the lack of regulation, aftercare, and accountability in some settings puts patients at real risk.
'As a next step, we'd also like to see the NHS collect robust data on patients presenting with complications after overseas treatment. This is essential to understanding the true scale of the problem and ensuring that UK health services are not left to shoulder the burden without evidence or recourse.'