‘I almost died after having plastic surgery in Turkey – and needed nine NHS ops’
Sara Platt is suing the firm Magic Touch and surgeon Dr Hakan Olmezturk, alleging medical malpractice, after she claims she was “butchered” having plastic surgery in Antalya, Turkey
A woman says she almost died after undergoing what she called botched cosmetic surgery in Turkey.
Sara Platt is suing the firm Magic Touch and surgeon Dr Hakan Olmezturk, alleging medical malpractice. She claims she was “butchered” in Antalya. The 33-year-old claims she was left with “dead” breast tissue and a “gaping wound” in her stomach after several procedures costing £13,000 in February. She claims she has had nine NHS operations to repair the damage.
The mum of four claimed: “They put you under a false sense of safety by telling you that surgery is safe.” Sara says she was told the surgery was risk-free. But 10 months later, Sara, of Bridgend, South Wales, claims she faces further reconstructive surgery.
Sara says MPs did not respond to her pleas to shut down the Magic Touch events. She added: “I cannot believe they are allowed to do this.” The first hearing in Sara’s case is in Istanbul next month. Magic Touch said it had all required consent forms from Ms Platt and that it only connected patients with health providers.
A spokesman added: “It appears that the narrative surrounding Ms Platt’s story has been changing at each step.”
A Mirror probe has revealed how a Turkish medical company is offering cheap plastic surgery in time for Christmas, sparking safety fears for British patients. The deals were promoted at an event in Hull, where dental and cosmetics firm Magic Touch offered free consultations to people interested in travelling to Turkey for treatment.
A Mirror reporter enquired about having a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). At least three Brits have died having gone to Turkey for the procedure. In a 30-minute consultation, “patient co-ordinator” Sevil admitted having no medical credentials, yet brazenly outlined a treatment plan for our reporter to have “bum implants”. She offered a discount on flights and advised booking by January to avoid price rises, saying the operation could be done as soon as December 22.
She said buttock-enlarging was “very popular” in Turkey as it is “expensive in the UK”, and insisted implants “never” went wrong, despite a string of serious risks associated with it. Professor Mani Ragbir, President of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, said he was “very, very concerned” about our findings.
He said: “We should not be bombarding people into surgery. Telling you that if you come now you will avoid a price increase next month is not the sort of thing we advocate or are happy with. It’s just bad practice.” Risks that should have been highlighted include the possibility of an embolism, infection, bleeding, scars, wound-healing problems and “asymmetry” in the buttocks.
Last year, Turkey welcomed 1.2 million British medical tourists, but 2023 is on track to exceed that, with 746,290 in the first half of this year. Fixing botched surgery cost the NHS £1.7million in 2022, up 35% from 2021. The UK government says it will meet Turkish authorities to discuss regulations. Since 2019, at least 25 Brits have died after travelling there for treatment. Magic Touch offers a range of procedures including breast enlargement, liposuction and facelifts. They did not respond to the concerns raised in our investigation.
