A British woman died after paying thousands of pounds for a Brazilian butt lift operation in Turkey, an inquest heard.
Hayley Dowell, 38, suffered medical complications at a private clinic after her surgeon left her half-way through the operation, a coroner said.
She went under the knife and had a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), a tummy tuck and liposuction – a package costing more than £7,000 – last October.
Her husband, Neil Dowell – who was accompanying her on the trip – claimed doctors at the Turkish clinic failed to explain the risks of the procedure to his wife.
Mrs Dowell, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, is believed to be one of six Britons who died in Turkey in 2023 after botched medical procedures.
The country is popular with Brits for its cut-price plastic surgery, although it has been the subject of warnings from British health officials.
BBL involves increasing the size and shape of a person’s bottom by removing fat from one area of the body and transferring it to their buttocks.
Mr and Mrs Dowell arrived in Turkey on October 1 last year, Winchester Coroner’s Office was told on Wednesday.
He went under the knife at the BHT clinic in Istanbul on October 2 and died around midnight on October 3, the court heard.
A preliminary hearing into her death was told she suffered an embolism – a problem that can occur after surgery and causes a potentially fatal blockage of blood flow.
Mr. Dowell said he and his wife did some research to find the clinic, adding, “We found a surgeon who had a clinic under his name. He was one of them [top five] surgeons in Turkey”.
However, he told the coroner that he had only consented to two of the three operations he had, although he did not specify which ones he had not consented to.
Details of the proceedings were not heard at the preliminary hearing, but Mr. Dowell raised concerns about not informing his wife.
“No danger had been described to her,” claimed Mr. Dowell. Ms Dowell’s mother Ann said her daughter “would not have known the risks” of one of the operations because she did not consent to all three.
One of the biggest concerns of Mr. Dowell is the change during the operation. “It should have been a six-hour operation, but it was cut to one hour and 45 [minutes]”, he said.
“The surgeon left halfway through the operation and let the anesthesiologist do the work. You can’t do both at the same time.”
Mr. Dowell also said: “They asked me to sign the consent form after he died, after the BBL.”
Coroner Nicholas Walker said he would carry out a full investigation into the information Mrs Dowell received and the circumstances of her death.
Mr. Walker also suggested that he would write a report on preventing future deaths to help stop future tragedies. A full investigation will take place in January.
BHT Clinic has “the technological infrastructure and equipment available only in Turkey and in a limited number of centers in the world,” according to its website.
The website also states: “We are on a mission to ‘Become a Global Brand in Healthcare’ by applying patient and employee safety to international quality standards based on ethical principles with its medical infrastructure.”
BHT Clinic had no official representative or representative at the preliminary hearing and it is not yet known whether the clinic will provide evidence at the inquest in January.
At least six Britons died in Turkey in 2023 after medical procedures, according to Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
It was reported in 2022 that 17 Britons had died in the country since 2019 following medical tourism visits.
