ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Cosmetic surgery is no longer just for the rich and famous; costs are going down – especially if you’re willing to travel to destinations like Turkey. Social media is packed with glossy surgery journeys, but are they showing the full story? There’s no doubting the positive results it gives to some, but what happens when things go wrong? Journalist Aoife Moore gets under the skin of the multi-billion-pound medical tourism industry.

Aoife kicks off her journey in her hometown of Derry/Londonderry, catching up with her cousin Sean, who travelled to Turkey four years ago for gastric sleeve surgery and has since experienced a life-changing transformation for the better. While his operation went smoothly, Aoife discovers that this isn’t always the case for those who travel abroad for cosmetic treatments. In 2023, The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported a 94% increase over three years in UK residents needing hospital treatment for complications from cosmetic surgery abroad.

In Lurgan, Co Armagh, Aoife meets 27-year-old online influencer Chloe who is about to head to Istanbul to have a ‘boob job’. Confident after researching her surgeon and clinic, she represents a growing wave of UK and Irish patients chasing more affordable cosmetic options.

Aoife also meets the father of 32-year-old Shannon, who died 18 months after having travelled to Turkey for a gastric sleeve surgery. Hearing his deeply moving account, Aoife begins to grasp the human cost that can lie behind the growing trend of cosmetic surgery tourism, far removed from the influencer endorsements that dominate social media.