A WOMAN has told how she was left rotting in a dingy hotel and wanted to die after a £15,000 botched tummy tuck.
Sara Platt, 34, is now taking the Turkish doctor who operated on her to court.
The mum-of-four originally travelled to Turkey in 2021 – where she received a gastric band surgery to remove 12 stone of weight.
However, the procedure left her with excess skin that caused ongoing infections.
After researching skin removal treatment in the UK – which would have cost around £33,000 – she opted to instead head back to Turkey for less than half the price.
But two further operations in 2023 left the Bridgend mum screaming in pain and close to death, she has claimed.
She has since had ten corrective NHS surgeries to treat ongoing health problems.
Speaking to the Mail, she said: “I was left with three days to live. I suffer with nightmares every night. I’ve got extreme PTSD.
“If somebody touches my stomach straight away, I can feel pain and that’s going to be with me forever.”
Despite an initially bad experience in Turkey, Sara said she was reassured by numerous five-star reviews on the second surgery’s website – and had even met the surgeon twice.
But as soon as she woke up from the 13-hour operation – which included the tummy tuck, a breast implant and three other procedures – she knew something was catastrophically wrong.
The pain was so severe that she begged her dad to let her die – while her right breast was purple, she claimed.
Over the following days, Sara’s health deteriorated further – as brown liquid began to seep from her body.
Far from her dream of recovering in the Turkish sun, she was instead left “rotting” in a hotel room – with a chunk of fat left in the middle of her chest.
The mum, who had originally put on weight due to steroid treatment for her endometriosis, added: “I really trusted this man and he nearly killed me.”
Nine days later, the same surgeon agreed to operate on Sara again to “fix his mess”.
But the nightmare continued as Sara, who had only been given local anaesthetic, remained awake while the doctor used a burning tool to work on the stomach wound.
Previously speaking to ITV, she recalled her skin “sizzling” and feeling like she was “on fire”.
Desperate for the all-clear to fly home, she lied to the doctor that she would give him a positive review– and returned to Wales, where she was admitted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
She later spent eight weeks at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery.
Now, the traumatised mum, who claims to be suffering from PTSD, will be forced to return to Turkey for medical examinations – as part of legal proceedings against the surgeon.
She admitted feeling terrified at the prospect of returning – but said it was essential that the doctor’s medical licence was revoked to save other patients from the same fate.
Despite at least 28 Brits having died from dodgy cosmetic procedures in Turkey, Sara claims to be the first to sue their surgeon.
She has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the visit – including travel and accommodation costs.
On the page, she wrote: “For the past two years, I have been speaking out, sharing my story to warn others about the dangers of surgery abroad – dangers that are often hidden behind appealing prices, celebrity endorsements, and glamorous marketing.
“Too many people have been left scarred, or worse, and I refuse to let this continue.
“I have taken legal action against the surgeon responsible for my suffering, fighting not for money, but for justice—to have his medical license revoked so he can no longer harm others.
“The process has been long, expensive, and mentally exhausting, but I am determined to see this through. I am not the first victim, and I won’t be the last unless action is taken.
“Now, I am being required to return to Turkey for an examination by Turkish doctors as part of the court proceedings.
“My UK surgeon must also travel to provide evidence. This is a crucial step in holding the responsible parties accountable, but I need your help to make it happen.”
She added: “The legal process is designed to be intimidating, exhausting, and financially draining to discourage people like me from fighting back—but I refuse to give up.
“We cannot let them win.”
The Sun has contacted the surgery for comment.
Risks of plastic surgery overseas
OVERSEAS surgeons are not subject to the same rules, regulations and training as doctors in the UK.
That means you can’t guarantee the safety of the equipment or material they are using.
Unsterile equipment dramatically increases your risk of infection, which could lead to necrotising fasciitis (flesh-eating bugs), sepsis or even death.
On top of that, if you are opting for fillers or injections anywhere on the body there is no way of knowing if doctors are using dangerous substances.
Cosmetic surgeons have warned against cut-price surgery as there is a real risk you will be injected with “unsafe substances”.
Prof Ash Mosahebi, honorary secretary of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’ (BAAPS), said most patients either opt for cheap injections or implants to boost their bum.
“If they are having injections then god knows what they are being injected with, if it is safe, or if it is sterile,” he told The Sun Online.
“Oil, for example, does make it look bigger for a few days but then it deflates and it’s likely infection like sepsis can kick in.
“I know of silicone oil being used, which shouldn’t be used for medical purposes.
“I’ve heard of cement but I haven’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s things like that.
“Most of the time the injections end up having a lot of bacteria in them as well because they aren’t sterile.”