The Office for National Statistics found in 2023 that roughly 431,000 people travelled from the UK to receive medical treatment overseas, an increase of almost 4 times as many as the 120,000 who did in 2015.
While searches related to plastic surgery in Turkey increased from 162,970 in August 2021 to 176,050 in August 2025 which is an 8% increase. While in London specifically, searches relating to cosmetic surgery overseas saw an average of 76,650 searches a month.
The experts at Elanic Medical have shared their concerns over the impact these decisions might have on the UK’s care system, and the patients themselves.
The British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons found in 2024 that 66% who sought surgery abroad would not do so again, with half of that number directly expressing regret at their choice.
“While we’re aware there are some great surgeons who operate overseas, the patients we’ve seen who have opted to have procedures abroad often have a different experience from the pictures painted by influencers and social media stories” said Marc Frossman of Elanic Medical.
“One of the issues we’ve come across is the difference in consultation time and space for a patient to consider whether the procedure is right for them.”
“In the UK, patients have a full week after their consultation to process the advice they’re given, but overseas this isn’t always followed, so patients may not have the time they need to make a fully informed choice, and that’s not the only problem.”
“The main selling point of procedures abroad is that the cost is lower than in the UK, but we’ve heard from patients who have arrived in their chosen country, to be told that the initial price doesn’t cover all the elements they might want, and that they could have to pay extra in order to get what they actually want.”
Although the data isn’t fully comprehensive, multiple sources have shown a rise in the number of corrective surgeries in line with the increase in people travelling for surgery.
A 2025 review of 37 different studies, ranging from 2007 to 2024, was published, which covered 655 UK patients treated for complications by the NHS after surgery abroad.
It found that the cost for treating complications ranged from £1,058 and £19,549 per patient, and that patients who had received treatments in Turkey accounted for 61% of those with complications.
“Although some patients may choose to seek private care in the UK to treat any issues they experience, if this sort of medical tourism continues to grow, it will place a clear strain on the NHS in terms of cost and resources.”
“The simple fact is that you can travel from the UK to Turkey for a procedure without a visa, making it easier than ever for people to visit with extremely short timescales, but this means that any problems that arise once you’re back in the UK, either require you to fly back, or receive treatment at home.”
