Women report severe complications from low‑cost blepharoplasty performed abroad, prompting UK surgeons to warn of risks and NHS after‑care burden.
Nikita Morgan, a 31‑year‑old from Dublin, described extreme pain, burning sensations and bleeding stitches after a blepharoplasty performed by Dutch company Faceland in Düsseldorf. She and other patients, including Laura (who required multiple A&E visits after her eyelid wounds reopened) and Caryn Harte (who feared loss of sight and suffered infection), reported inability to close their eyes, excessive skin removal, scarring and ongoing visual problems.
Oculoplastic surgeons in the UK, including members of the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society, said most complications they have seen in the past year involve procedures carried out abroad. A survey of 63 society members identified failure to close the eyes, over‑resection of skin, scarring and wound dehiscence as common issues, and highlighted the lack of immediate after‑care as a burden on the NHS.
Faceland states it has performed more than 2,950 bleph procedures on UK patients across clinics in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland since October 2024 and claims less than 1% of procedures have led to a complaint. The company says patients receive consultations, consent forms and after‑care guidance, though the interviewed patients said they received no after‑care pack, instructions for stitch removal, or timely support when complications arose.
The available reporting does not provide a comprehensive count of complications linked to Faceland or other low‑cost clinics, and the overall incidence of adverse outcomes from cheap overseas blepharoplasty remains uncertain.