Cosmetic surgery procedure warning
TRAGEDY: A coroner has urged surgeons conducting a cosmetic surgery technique to consider whether it is safe to continue to offer the operation following the death of a woman.
Leah Cambridge, 29, saved up thousands of pounds to have the procedure known as the “Brazilian butt lift” done in Izmir, Turkey, last August.
A CORONER has urged surgeons conducting a cosmetic surgery technique to consider whether it is safe to continue to offer the operation following the death of a mother-of-three.
Leah Cambridge, 29, saved up thousands of pounds to have the procedure known as the “Brazilian butt lift” done in Izmir, Turkey, last August after feeling “paranoid about her body”.
But the beautician, from Leeds, died while undergoing the controversial operation, where fat is removed from certain areas of the body, including the stomach and back, and then transferred into the buttocks to achieve an hourglass figure.
Her inquest at Wakefield Coroner’s Court heard how she booked the surgery against the wishes of her partner, Scott Franks, through a company named Elite Aftercare, which offers clients a package that includes a stay in a villa.
Recording a conclusion that Miss Cambridge died having the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) after not being fully appraised of the risks involved, coroner Kevin McLoughlin said: “Against this backdrop, those involved in facilitating or conducting BBL procedures must decide whether it’s safe to continue to do so.
“In my judgment, this decision should be made on ethical grounds, rather than business ones relating to the revenue streams involved.”
He added: “At the very least, anyone thinking of submitting themselves to the hazards associated with the BBL should seek out independent medical advice. Make sure that you fully understand the risks before you proceed.”
In October last year, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons warned its members not to perform the operation until further information on its dangers could be obtained.
A consultant plastic surgeon told the inquest on Thursday that any UK-wide ban on the operation could prompt potential customers to go abroad to have it done. Discussing this, Mr McLoughlin said: “I believe that our foremost duty is to protect our citizens from what maybe is considered to be their own folly.
“If the approach that I am considering involves a paternalistic despotism, the process of curtailing individual freedom may be considered to be a price worth paying.”
The coroner added that he would write to the Secretary of State for Health regarding the procedure.
Giving evidence, Mr Franks said that as soon as he heard of his partner’s death he flew to Turkey and met the surgeon who performed the operation, Dr Ali Uckan.
Mr Franks added that Dr Uckan said of the operation: “It’s a guessing game, you can’t see where you are going into. It’s a matter of life and death when you are doing it.”
Mr McLoughlin said that he had written to Dr Uckan eight times to invite him to attend the inquest but only received a pageand-a-half statement from the surgeon.
The coroner said: “The conclusion I am left with is that Dr Uckan’s conduct is a display of cowardice.”
Consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Simon Withey told the inquest that a US taskforce set up in 2015 suggested that the mortality rate for BBLs could be as high as one in every 2,600 and one in every 6,000 surgeries.
In a statement issued by Minton Morrill solicitors on behalf of Miss Cambridge’s family, they said she “will be missed forever by all and our lives will never be the same”.
Dr Uckan’s conduct is a display of cowardice.
Kevin McLoughlin, senior coroner for West Yorkshire (East).