Kayleigh Mckenna, a maternity healthcare support worker from Swindon, Wiltshire, traveled to Turkey in October 2024 for a nose job to fix her deviated septum and a breast reduction, according to major media reports. The surgery cost £4,500. Mckenna said the procedure was meant to last around seven hours but allegedly took ten hours.
She left the surgery 'screaming in pain,' and developed blood circulation issues in her breasts afterward. Days after the surgery, her left nostril was 'completely blocked up,' and the surgeon removed a blood clot and took out her splints a day earlier than planned. After returning home, doctors found through blood tests and a scan that her septum was still deviated.
In December 2024, she visited a UK clinic to get her stitches removed as they were causing sinus infections. More than a year later, Mckenna says she has a 'collapsed and wonky' nostril that is 'non-functional' and has to buy nasal spray every week to be able to breathe. She is considering a £9,000 private operation or minor NHS surgery.
Mckenna regrets the operation and warns others against getting procedures done abroad, stating, 'I'm absolutely devastated and traumatised. ' She booked the procedures over WhatsApp and was told she could return home after six days, but after arriving in Turkey, the consultant said she needed to stay an extra day, though she couldn't change her flights. The name of the clinic or surgeon in Turkey has not been disclosed, and it is unclear if they have responded to these allegations.
The exact costs and wait times for similar procedures in the UK compared to Turkey are unknown.