Angela Paterson, 48, spent two years having a facelift, face lift and upper eyelid surgery in Lithuania but claims she has been left with a “crooked” mouth and hearing loss.
A woman who went to Lithuania for a face and neck lift in a bid to ‘feel younger’ has spoken out after claiming the procedure left her with hearing loss and a ‘crooked’ mouth, facing more than £7,000 in costs to fix it. Angela Patterson, 48, saved and saved for two years, paying more than £8,000 for a face lift, neck lift and upper eyelid surgery in Kaunas, which included flights, accommodation and pet sitting.
However, after the operation, she claims she suffered hearing loss and her mouth looked “crooked”. Even after 14 months of recovery, Angela claims she still has scars around her neck, a “squinted eye” from tight stitches and persistent hearing loss in one ear.
She is now preparing to fly to Turkey for corrective surgery on her neck and eye next month, estimating the surgery and travel costs will exceed £7,000.
Angela, a tattoo artist from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, said: “My confidence level, my mental health has gone down because of all this. It’s really traumatic.
“I don’t go out anymore. I wanted to do this to feel more confident, to feel younger and better about myself.
“I’ve been left looking at myself and saying, ‘I’m not happy with this’. It’s had a serious impact on my mental health.”
In September 2024, Angela traveled to Kaunas and underwent a facelift, neck lift and upper eyelid surgery at Nordesthetics Clinic. Having read positive reviews about the clinic and having previously undergone successful surgery in Turkey, he believed he was in safe hands.
He added: “I love Turkey for surgery, but I’ve heard great things about Lithuania and the flight was only two and a half hours, so it felt a little easier for me after the surgery. At the time, I had absolutely no worries. As far as I was concerned, I was going to a reputable company.”
After the operation, Angela claimed that she began to experience hearing loss and noticed that her mouth was crooked. “The right side of my mouth went right up and the left side was falling down,” she explained.
Angela says she raised these concerns “the morning after” the procedure, but the clinic denies having any record of such a thing. She remained in the Baltic country for another six days before returning home.
A month later, Angela informed the clinic that her recovery was progressing “well”, but showed lumps around her chin and a lip caused by her uneven mouth. She said the clinic reassured her that these issues were normal for her stage of healing.
She also expressed concern about possible infection at the incision site, but was assured that the incision was not infected. Months later, still with a noticeable scar under her chin, which becomes visible when she talks, Angela was “really worried” about the lasting effects.
She also raised the alarm about scarring around her neck, an eye she claims was drawn together by tight stitches, persistent hearing loss in one ear and visible platysma stripes. Her crooked mouth has improved but is still noticeable when she speaks, she added.
She went on to say: “I’ve got lumps and bumps all over my neck. I’ve got a big scar under my chin that’s really noticeable when I talk. I’ve been wearing wigs to cover the damage.”
Half a year after the procedure, the clinic offered Angela a revision operation on her scars for £600. However, she claims surgeons in the UK and Turkey told her she did not have enough skin for revision surgery and would instead need steroid injections and Co2 laser treatment costing at least £3,000 in total.
In July 2025, she filed a formal complaint with the Lithuanian clinic, but they responded by saying she had provided “no new evidence” to support her claims. Another revision surgery offer for £600 was made three months later, but by then she said she could not afford the travel costs as her insurance had lapsed. Angela said she has sought legal advice but claims UK lawyers have refused to take her case because she underwent surgery in Lithuania.
He said: “When you look for medical malpractice abroad, many lawyers appear, but when you call them and tell them Lithuania, they say it is outside our jurisdiction. Yes, I made the decision to go abroad.
“I understand that and people will say this is my decision. But the point I have to tell people is that a court will not represent you in Lithuania.
“In Turkey they would do it. I didn’t know that before I came out. [To fight the case] I will need to pay many, many thousands up front to a Lithuanian lawyer, probably more than the surgery itself.”
In just five weeks, she is due to travel to Turkey for a procedure to restore her platysma bands, a temporary lift on her eye and “smooth out” the scars and lumps on her neck. The business itself has a hefty price tag of £6,500, but he also had to pay £443 for flights and £350 for pets.
A Nordesthetics spokesman said: “All patients, including Ms Paterson, are informed of the risks and potential complications before surgery and confirm in writing that they are aware of these risks. Post-operative scarring is one of the complications that Ms Paterson was informed of prior to surgery.
“This complication is caused by the body’s response to surgery and can be affected by different aspects of the patient’s constitution that cannot be determined prior to surgery. Since the surgery performed on Ms. Paterson complied with all medical standards, this complication is considered a risk that the patient was informed about in advance. Period.”
