► 5 News went undercover to expose a notorious backstreet clinic in Liverpool, which has performed dozens of operations - allegedly leaving some patients with serious facial disfigurements.
One procedure, upper blepharoplasty, where excess skin is cut from the eyelids to make people look younger and less tired, is particularly popular - thanks to social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook. It’s now the third most popular cosmetic surgery in the UK, and is the fastest-growing among women, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
Undercover, 5 News booked an appointment with a woman called Luyen Vu, who has no verified UK medical qualifications. She offers upper and lower eyelid procedures in a flat above a restaurant in Liverpool.
At the appointment, she was prepared to begin the procedure without basic checks - no medical consultation or patient history was taken, and when asked, was unwilling to verify her qualifications. When asked whether she was a doctor or how many surgeries she had performed, Ms Vu also refused to answer.
Responding to the footage, Wes Streeting said: "This is an extremely concerning case you've raised with me, and I will go away now and look at the laws in place to make sure that we don't have loopholes that enable this kind of unsafe and unregulated practice."
Leading UK eye surgeons have warned that if done incorrectly, eyelid surgery can result in permanent scarring, infection, and even blindness.
Despite the risks, it remains legal in the UK for anyone to carry out cosmetic surgery, provided they do not falsely claim to be a registered doctor or surgeon. Campaigners say this legal loophole is putting lives at risk and are calling on the Government to act.
5 News reporter Natalia Jorquera has led this investigation.
#cosmetic #cosmeticsurgery #plasticsurgery
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