Love Island is fuelling a boom in demand for cut-price cosmetic surgery across the UK, a health minister has warned.

Jackie Doyle-Price, the minister for mental health and suicide prevention, said that reality shows such as Love Island, The Only Way is Essex and Absolutely Ascot are encouraging young people to undergo procedures such as lip fillers and breast surgeries.

Doyle-Price said: “Love Island sits atop lots of things which put across a generally unrealistic picture of body image.

“If people want to change aspects of their appearance that is fine, but they need to understand that all these procedures come with risk.”

The minister pointed to a 2018 study that showed that London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has treated 12 patients with infected fillers over the past year, at a cost of £40,000 to the NHS.

She went on to warn specifically about the rise in Brits seeking cheaper surgeries abroad: “When it comes to fundamental operations such as boob ops, we are seeing more and more people going abroad because it’s cheap. I would say - please don’t do it because we are seeing more and more people coming back to this country [with a botched procedure] and the NHS having to put problems right.”

The same study found that the Royal London Hospital has spent more than £63,000 in repairing botched overseas surgery since 2013. This is a six-fold rise in corrective procedures on patients undergoing cosmetic surgeries overseas.

Doyle-Price continued: “No one should feel they have to aspire to be like these people [from reality TV shows]. It’s not real – and it can lead to real harm and cost to the NHS.”

OUR VIEW ON MEDICAL TOURISM

If you are sure that you want to undergo a surgery such as breast augmentation or liposuction, then travelling abroad where these procedures are much cheaper can seem appealing. However, before doing so it is essential to conduct thorough research into the surgeon and clinic before committing yourself financially and physically to a procedure.

You can read more about the risks and realities of medical tourism in our in-depth guide, Getting Cosmetic Surgery Abroad: More Trouble Than It’s Worth?.

If you have undergone a botched cosmetic procedure and think you might have a legal case, get in touch with us today.