Last year, 43,172 people underwent some form of cosmetic surgery in the UK, all contributing to this booming £2.3bn business.

For some of us, altering our appearance can be felt a necessity, for others it can be simply for enhancement. However, despite the growing demand for procedures and the now easily accessible treatments on the high street, the horror stories of botched surgery are out there, as Channel 5’s ‘Botched Up Bodies’ reports – and it’s not for the faint hearted as these two cases show…

One lady featured in the program underwent a non-surgical procedure in 2006 to enhance her looks with dermal fillers costing £1,500.

1.25m Britons undergo these procedures every year, yet this area of ‘high street’ cosmetic surgery remains unregulated, and can be administered by anyone from a beautician to a builder after just 4 hours of training.

The filler was injected into her face to plump up and smooth the skin around her eyes. However, shortly after the procedure, the product leaked into other parts of her face, causing infection and forcing her eyes shut with the swelling. This, along with the excruciating pain resulted in her going to A&E.

The doctors had to force her eyes open to make sure the infection wasn’t spreading to behind the eyes, as if this was the case, it could spread to her brain and be fatal. Once under control and rid of the infection, she was left disfigured and with the remnants of the filler still under her skin, leaving her at risk of further recurrences of infection. At this point, she felt suicidal and only her daughter could keep her battling on. After 3 further operations over the course of the following 6 years, she had paid a total of £15,000 in order to have the filler removed, and then needed corrective surgery to remove the scarring around her eyes.

In another case, and following the birth of her child, a 26 year old from Bolton, paid £5,000 for a breast uplift and augmentation. After enduring this invasive procedure, she was left with horrific scarring and droopy boobs. It transpired, and only after going to another clinic for a second opinion, that her surgeon had failed to insert the breast implants. She then had to undergo corrective surgery to remove the scarring and actually give her the enlargement she so desperately wanted in the beginning.

We can help you…

If you feel you have undergone a treatment which did not leave you with the desired results and which you believe was carried out incorrectly, call to speak to a member of our Cosmetic Surgery Claims Team on 0161 833 0044.

Talk to our specialists in confidence with the details of your complaint and we will explain how we can move forward together in making things right for you again.

We can help in recovering costs for corrective surgery if required, and in many cases any therapy or counselling to help you cope with the distress and anxiety of your experience.

Alternatively, you can email your enquiry to the team at cosmeticsurgery@abacus-law.co.uk