Oculoplastic surgeons in the UK are raising alarms about an increasing number of patients experiencing complications from affordable blepharoplasty procedures performed at overseas clinics, according to reports gathered by the BBC. The procedure, which involves removing skin above the eyelids, has grown in popularity through social media promotion, with videos on major platforms receiving nearly 150 million views in the past three years—five times the volume from the preceding three-year period. While the procedure typically costs thousands of pounds when performed in the UK, patients have been traveling to clinics across Europe, Africa, and Asia to obtain the surgery at substantially reduced prices.
One major provider, Dutch company Faceland, reports having performed more than 2,950 blepharoplasty procedures on UK patients since October 2024 at clinics in the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. The company maintains that fewer than 1% of procedures have resulted in complaints and states it offers safe, quality treatments performed by accredited medical doctors. However, the BBC documented numerous cases of serious adverse outcomes, including patients unable to close their eyes properly, infections, and reopened surgical wounds requiring emergency department visits. Medical experts note that procedures at overseas clinics often take less than an hour, compared to the typical three hours for UK surgeries including preparation, surgery, and post-operative care.
Patients described inadequate pain management during procedures and insufficient aftercare support following surgery. Several individuals reported difficulty reaching emergency helplines when complications emerged and were advised to seek local treatment rather than receive assistance from the clinics where their procedures were performed. Medical professionals indicate that certain complications, such as wound separation, should rarely occur with proper training and technique. The complications stemming from these procedures have created additional demands on the National Health Service, which must address aftercare for patients who received treatment abroad without adequate follow-up support.
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