A Brit has been left fighting for his life in a Turkish hospital after developing sepsis as he recovered from a £1,400 eyelift.
Ryan Taylor, 40, underwent a blepharoplasty procedure to reduce crow’s feet and wrinkles around the eyes at a private clinic in the coastal city of Izmir last Tuesday.
The procedure appeared to go well but 16 hours later he was rushed by ambulance to the Bayraklı Şehir Hospital on dialysis with kidney failure, sepsis and internal bleeding.
His fiance Gary Jones, 44, told : ‘He started to develop symptoms after a few hours but we presumed it was just a side effect of the anaesthetic.
‘He just went downhill overnight, we took him back into the clinic the next morning at 8am and he was rushed to hospital by ambulance.
‘He’s been in a critical condition in ICU since Wednesday of last week on a lot of painkillers, he’s not producing urine because his kidneys are failing and he’s in a very, very bad way.
‘It’s extraordinarily worrying, a couple of days ago the doctor told him if the dialysis doesn’t work he will die.’
Ryan, who served in the Royal Navy as a military policeman and now works in the care sector, paid a Turkish company £1,500 for the procedure and six nights hotel accommodation in the coastal city of Izmir.
His travel insurer declined to pay out as Ryan hadn’t disclosed the surgery to them and while the clinic is paying his medical bills, Gary has set up a GoFundMe page to raise £40,000 to pay for a medical evacuation back to the UK.
The police are also investigating and have taken a statement from Gary.
Gary, from Blackpool, said he had tried to discourage his fiance from booking the operation but came along to help look after him and believed the minor procedure carried less risk than operations such as Brazilian bum-lifts (BBL) and liposuction.
He said: ‘Ryan’s been worried about how his eyelids look for a while, it’s never been a problem for me or anybody else.
‘I would say to anybody considering doing this your eyelids aren’t worth your life, if you really must do this save up a few more quid and do it in the UK where you know you’re safe.
‘Avoid cosmetic tourism because it could cost you your life. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.’
The fashion for travelling to Turkey for beauty treatments has surged after being endorsed by social media influencers and reality TV celebrities like Lauren Goodger, Amber Dowding, Georgia Kousoulou and Jemma Lucy.
But according to the Foreign Office, 28 Britons have died as a result of cosmetic surgery in the country since 2019.
Among them was a British mother-of-three who had a Brazilian bum-lift operation in Turkey has tragically died just days later.
Demi Agoglia, 26, of Salford, Greater Manchester, is said to have become ill despite doctors initially declaring her surgery last January was successful.
The 26-year-old, who had a seven-month-old baby boy, first said she felt unwell just hours before she was due to return to Manchester.
The young woman was taken into intensive care but was tragically pronounced dead
The mother reportedly flew to Turkey having already had dental work which was botched as well as another surgery.
Her devastated brother Carl, 37, said Ms Agoglia’s family and partner had tried to convince her not to go through with the bum-lift as they were concerned for her safety.
The father-of-four said at the time: ‘It is tragic what happened. We are just in shock. She went to Istanbul to have it done.
‘She had previously gone to have her teeth done. No one wanted her to go out and have it done but she is one of those people.
‘Her partner is still out there and his dad has just flown out there to be with him.
‘If anyone is thinking of flying to Turkey for an operation I would say don’t do it! Even her boyfriend didn’t want her to do it. But she is 26 and has her own mind. Her mum didn’t want her to go out either.’
He added: ‘I think there will be a coroner’s report over there. Her partner needs a death certificate before she comes home.
‘She is only 26; she shouldn’t have died. Just don’t do it, it’s such a high risk. She should never have done it. She has left three young kids.’