Medical professionals specializing in eye surgery have raised concerns about a rising number of adverse outcomes associated with affordable eyelid surgery procedures conducted outside the United Kingdom. The procedures, known as blepharoplasty or “bleph,” involve removing skin above the eyes and have grown significantly in popularity, driven partly by social media promotion and substantially lower costs compared to domestic options.
Social media analysis conducted by the BBC found that videos about blepharoplasty posted by UK accounts across four major platforms accumulated nearly 150 million views over a three-year period, representing a fivefold increase from the preceding three years. One company, Faceland, has reported performing more than 2,950 bleph procedures on UK patients across clinics in the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland since October 2024, offering treatments at substantially reduced prices. The company states that less than 1% of procedures have led to complaints, though this figure does not account for patients requiring revision surgery.
Patients who experienced complications reported serious issues including inability to close eyes properly, reopened surgical wounds, infections, and vision concerns. One patient described spending less than an hour at a clinic for a procedure that typically requires approximately three hours in the UK, including preparation, surgery, and postoperative care. Another patient required four visits to accident and emergency departments after her eyelid wounds reopened following suture removal at home, which UK surgeons indicated should rarely occur with proper training.
Oculoplastic surgeons have attributed complications to clinics across mainland Europe, Africa, and Asia, noting that inadequate aftercare following procedures places additional strain on the National Health Service. Concerns have also been raised regarding patient preparation and informed consent, as some individuals reported underestimating the invasiveness of the procedure and receiving insufficient guidance regarding postoperative care, including warnings against flying immediately after surgery.
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