Anthony Featured in The Sun newspaper

11 October 2011

Cut-price clinic filled my boobs with gel meant for a mattress!!

Published: 24 Feb 2011

"HUNDREDS of thousands of women go abroad every year for sun, sea and... surgery. Cosmetic op "holidays" are big business - but a survey of registered plastic surgeons in Britain found 25 per cent had treated patients after a botched job abroad. So today, Sun Health launches a campaign to highlight the risks of cosmetic surgery abroad.

Consultant cosmetic surgeon Anthony Armstrong, a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, said: "When patients travel abroad for cosmetic surgery they are putting their lives in the hands of someone they have probably never met and someone who is probably not fully qualified. "But what we have seen in the UK is an increasing trend for people to go regardless of the risks. "It is not a holiday and people should think very carefully about the risks before they get on that plane. It could cost them their lives."

Jo Tooley, breast implants, Brussels (Belgium) SECRETARY Jo was desperate for breast implants after having a baby left one of her boobs a cup size bigger than the other. But Jo, 30, could not afford the £4,000 it would cost to have the implants in the UK so went to a clinic in Brussels, Belgium, for half the price. But straight after surgery, the mum of three started to feel awful pain in her right breast. Both implants had ruptured, leaving her with silicone floating around her body.

"MyView"

ANTHONY ARMSTRONG FDSRCS, FRCS, FRCS(Plast) Consultant Plastic Surgeon

EVERY year, fully accredited plastic surgeons in the UK are seeing more and more patients coming back from undergoing cosmetic surgery overseas and having problems. These problems can be life-threatening or they can be minor problems, such as stitches not coming out or an infection. At BAPRAS - the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons - the research we did showed that patients were having potentially life-threatening complications when they return to the UK. People need to be aware that it is very, very dangerous to travel to foreign countries for cosmetic surgery. One of the main problems is that patients do not see the surgeon until they arrive in the country and by then many people feel financially obliged to go ahead with the operation. Here in the UK, I meet with my patients routinely. I know their medical history, we talk about the surgery, how it will affect them and I can check whether they are medically fit and healthy enough. If you have surgery abroad, very often the only person you see before flying out is a sales person. A lot of these packages are advertised as a holiday. But lots of sun exposure and alcohol is not conducive to good wound healing. There is also the travel to take into account. You are at a higher risk of DVT or pulmonary embolism if you fly after surgery so you are putting your life at risk if you step on a plane after the operation. If something is cheaper, it is normally cheaper for a reason. It may be that the hospital is not up to the same standards as those in Britain. It may be that the doctor is not as well qualified or it may be that if implants are used they are cheap ones and not of the same quality that an accredited surgeon would use. Cosmetic surgery is often trivialised. It's not seen in the same way as any other operation but that is exactly what it is. All surgery comes with risks.

Mr Armstrong is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon and was Chairman of BAPRAS' Clinical Effectiveness Committee.