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A tragic case has surfaced involving a British woman who died following a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure in Turkey. Her death shed light on the alarming risks associated with medical tourism and patient safety.
Hayley Dowell, 38, had traveled from Eastleigh, Hampshire, to the West Asian country to undergo a series of cosmetic surgeries, including a tummy tuck, liposuction, and the BBL.
Highlights
- Hayley Dowell, 38, post-BBL in Turkey, raising medical tourism safety concerns.
- The alleged victim underwent a tummy tuck, liposuction, and BBL at Istanbul's BHT Clinic.
- The surgeon allegedly left mid-operation, leaving the anesthetist to continue unsupervised.
- The British woman also reportedly did not consent to one of the three surgeries performed.
She paid over £7,000 ($8,900) for the procedures conducted at Istanbul’s BHT Clinic.
RELATED:
Hayley Dowell, 38, tragically died after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) and other procedures in Turkey
Image credits: Neil Dowell
Just hours after the surgery began, the patient suffered a fatal embolism—a blockage in a blood vessel—and passed away around midnight on October 3 last year.
Troubling details about the surgery were recently revealed during a Winchester Coroner’s Court preliminary hearing.
According to husband Neil Dowell’s testimony, his wife had only consented to two of the three cosmetic surgeries she received.
“We found a surgeon that had a clinic named after himself,” he said. “He was one of the [top five] surgeons in Turkey.”
The deceased woman traveled with her husband and paid over £7,000 for the procedures at Istanbul’s BHT Clinic
Image credits: Neil Dowell
The bereaved husband further claimed that the clinic did not properly inform his deceased wife about the risks involved.
Even more disturbingly, Neil reported that the surgeon left midway through the operation, leaving the anesthetist to continue unsupervised.
“It should have been a six hour operation but it wound down to one hour 45 [minutes],” the husband alleged during the court session. “The surgeon left halfway through the operation and left the anesthetist to do the job. You can’t do both at the same time.”
Husband Neil Dowell claimed his wife had only agreed to two surgeries and not all three
Image credits: Piron Guillaume / Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
“They asked me to sign the consent form after she passed away, after the BBL,” he added.
Hayley’s mother, Ann, echoed her son-in-law’s concerns and emphasized that her daughter likely wasn’t aware of all the risks because she hadn’t consented to all three of the procedures.
In 2023 alone, six Britons, including Hayley, died after botched procedures in Turkey. The trend prompted UK health officials to caution against seeking cheaper options abroad without thorough research.
A full inquiry in January will investigate Hayley’s death and the overall handling of her case
Image credits: Rhodi Lopez / Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
A full inquest, set for January, will delve deeper into Hayley’s death.
The website for the BHT Clinic mentions having “the technological infrastructure and equipment available only in Turkey and in a limited number of centers in the world.”
“We have the mission of ‘Becoming a World Brand in Health’ by applying patient and employee safety in international quality standards based on ethical principles with its medical infrastructure,” reads the website.
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What do you think ?
Kathy Dragonfly 1 month ago
I will never understand why you would want to go through the pain and risk of such procedures in the fist place.
veirdbuttrue 3 weeks ago
Same! a seven thousand dollar butt lift?? Why? She was only 38 so it's not like her butt would have been hanging down by her knees. I just don't understand why you would spend so much, undergo a long and invasive medical procedure, (and they all have risks) and deal with a painful recovery for what? A firm butt? You can do exercises for that.
Load More Replies...
TruthoftheHeart 1 month ago
I'm all for saving money but I was always told that you should never be too cheap when it comes to your health and your body.
Ace 1 month ago
Surgery is inherently dangerous; in proper medicine they're very reluctant to use a General Anaesthetic if anything can be done under Epidural or Local, because the risk of dying while under is not zero. So-called elective surgery glosses over the risks but it doesn't mean they're not still there.
Richard Wareham 1 month ago
There has been so much bad press about Turkish butchers runing peoples lives with botched operations and actually costing them their lives, as in this case, I would have thought nobody would go anywhere near them. It's not worth the risk, no matter how cheap they are.
Sophia Athene 1 month ago (edited)
How many surgeries are successful? The ratio could be six people vs 6000 (arbitrary numbers). Then we're not talking about "butchers." We don't shut a hospital down after six deaths. These deaths are more known due to social media than how many other success stories. So that's why other people go there. There's a far greater chance of success than disaster. I wish I had the figures to know for sure. But without them, I don't think we can make such accusations.
Load More Replies... lenka 1 month ago (edited)
ALL unnecessary cosmetic surgeries should be illegal. Edited to add... consider that you need a medical procedure for actual health reasons, but you have been waitlisted as non-urgent and keep getting bumped in the waiting list because your hospital cannot get the anesthesia and/or saline it needs. Meanwhile, in the private cosmetic surgery clinic around the corner, where patients, and therefore the clinic can pay thousands of dollars above market price for these essential medicines, they continue to be able to perform hundreds of liposuction and but lift surgeries a week. This is happening at hospitals across the world. Body dysmorphia should be treated with therapy - not surgery, not just for the patient, but to prioritise essential medical resources for actual medical conditions.
lenka 1 month ago (edited)
Adding link for current USA medical shortages: https://dps.fda.gov/drugshortages and https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/medical-device-supply-chain-and-shortages/medical-device-shortages-list These shortages are reflected worldwide. People with genuine medical needs are being waitlisted because Anesthesia is in short supply. Meanwhile unscrupulous surgeons are capitalising on unreasonable media portrayals of 'perfect' bodies to exploit predominantly women for their own greed.
Load More Replies...
zj9h6rdws4 1 month ago
Its never funny when someone dies no matter the reason.
Load More Replies... Kathy Dragonfly 1 month ago
I will never understand why you would want to go through the pain and risk of such procedures in the fist place.
veirdbuttrue 3 weeks ago
Same! a seven thousand dollar butt lift?? Why? She was only 38 so it's not like her butt would have been hanging down by her knees. I just don't understand why you would spend so much, undergo a long and invasive medical procedure, (and they all have risks) and deal with a painful recovery for what? A firm butt? You can do exercises for that.
Load More Replies... TruthoftheHeart 1 month ago
I'm all for saving money but I was always told that you should never be too cheap when it comes to your health and your body.
Ace 1 month ago
Surgery is inherently dangerous; in proper medicine they're very reluctant to use a General Anaesthetic if anything can be done under Epidural or Local, because the risk of dying while under is not zero. So-called elective surgery glosses over the risks but it doesn't mean they're not still there.
Richard Wareham 1 month ago
There has been so much bad press about Turkish butchers runing peoples lives with botched operations and actually costing them their lives, as in this case, I would have thought nobody would go anywhere near them. It's not worth the risk, no matter how cheap they are.
Sophia Athene 1 month ago (edited)
How many surgeries are successful? The ratio could be six people vs 6000 (arbitrary numbers). Then we're not talking about "butchers." We don't shut a hospital down after six deaths. These deaths are more known due to social media than how many other success stories. So that's why other people go there. There's a far greater chance of success than disaster. I wish I had the figures to know for sure. But without them, I don't think we can make such accusations.
Load More Replies... lenka 1 month ago (edited)
ALL unnecessary cosmetic surgeries should be illegal. Edited to add... consider that you need a medical procedure for actual health reasons, but you have been waitlisted as non-urgent and keep getting bumped in the waiting list because your hospital cannot get the anesthesia and/or saline it needs. Meanwhile, in the private cosmetic surgery clinic around the corner, where patients, and therefore the clinic can pay thousands of dollars above market price for these essential medicines, they continue to be able to perform hundreds of liposuction and but lift surgeries a week. This is happening at hospitals across the world. Body dysmorphia should be treated with therapy - not surgery, not just for the patient, but to prioritise essential medical resources for actual medical conditions.
lenka 1 month ago (edited)
Adding link for current USA medical shortages: https://dps.fda.gov/drugshortages and https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/medical-device-supply-chain-and-shortages/medical-device-shortages-list These shortages are reflected worldwide. People with genuine medical needs are being waitlisted because Anesthesia is in short supply. Meanwhile unscrupulous surgeons are capitalising on unreasonable media portrayals of 'perfect' bodies to exploit predominantly women for their own greed.
Load More Replies... zj9h6rdws4 1 month ago
Its never funny when someone dies no matter the reason.
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