Oculoplastic surgeons are reporting a concerning number of patients experiencing problems from cheap blepharoplasty surgery, often performed abroad. These doctors, who specialise in surgery around the eyes, state that complications have been linked to clinics across mainland Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The demand for this procedure, which typically costs thousands of pounds in the UK, has reportedly increased as part of a wider aesthetic trend. When complications occur, the lack of aftercare places a burden on the NHS.
Patients have described issues such as extreme pain during surgery, open wounds, and being unable to close their eyes properly after treatment. One woman had to tape her eyes shut to sleep because too much eyelid skin had been removed.
Faceland, a Dutch company, has performed over 2,950 blepharoplasty procedures on UK patients at its clinics in the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland since October 2024. The company states that less than 1% of its procedures have led to a complaint, though this figure does not include everyone who required revision surgery.