Surgery In Poland was a big mistake!

It's website shows stunning – clearly airbrushed – models in ballgowns, inviting readers to ‘take the first steps .  .  . to a new you’.

Secret Surgery, which specialises in ‘luxury plastic surgery holidays’, seems to promise an indulgent, decadent treat to ‘leave you physically and spiritually rejuvenated’.

And if customers are in any doubt about its reputation, they are reassured by a regular stream of magazine articles and consistently positive reviews on the internet.

Sadly, however, in the world of cosmetic surgery things are often not as they seem – as one patient’s harrowing experience reveals.

June Jonigk, who flew from Britain to Poland for a tummy tuck, was left with a gaping hole in her stomach for more than three months.

Then when she booked a breast uplift, she was given a breast reduction that took her down two cup sizes and flattened her bust.

And when she dared to complain and was in desperate need of after-care, she found herself abandoned by the company’s support system.

The 54-year-old claims she has been left traumatised, deeply unhappy with her body, and in need of corrective procedures.

Hers is just the latest case to highlight the urgent need for regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry.

The Mail on Sunday launched its Stop the Cosmetic Surgery Cowboys campaign this year in a bid to force the Government to act.

Since then, a major inquiry led by Sir Bruce Keogh has laid bare shamefully inadequate practices in this sector.

His report echoed the legislative safeguards we are demanding to protect the public from irresponsible clinics: a minimum standard of training and experience for cosmetic surgeons; a regulatory body of registered, properly insured members; an end to hard-sell tactics; and a 30-minute consultation with the surgeon for all patients at least two weeks before they consent to the procedure.

Had such safeguards been in place, June believes her ordeal could have been prevented.

‘Now I can see through the company’s marketing tactics, I feel so foolish to have put my faith in them,’ she says.

‘When doctors or seemingly well-established medical companies tell you everything is OK or normal, you trust them – why wouldn’t I? But in my eyes, that trust was completely betrayed.

'I feel my body has been ruined and now I have to live with looking at myself every day. I still can’t believe that patients can be treated this way. I had no idea that there was no legal regulation.’

Cases such as June’s are far from isolated. More than 16 per cent of overseas cosmetic surgery results in complications, according to research by Leeds University. About one patient in ten needs NHS assistance after arriving home.

‘Booking surgery overseas can be as much a minefield as it is in the UK – if not more so,’ says Nigel Mercer, plastic surgeon and past president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. ‘Companies’ sales tactics are so persuasive that people trust their claims of expertise and qualifications, when there’s no real way to know the truth.’

Dream versus reality: Secret Surgery Ltd's website shows an airbrushed model and boasts a 'UK team and support' as well as a blog and information in several languages

For June, even when her tummy tuck left her stomach seeping fluid, her trust never faltered. Hospital staff insisted it was normal and didn’t require professional attention, and she did not doubt their medical judgment.

The business support officer returned for a second round of surgery. But the planned breast lift, in January, was even more disastrous as the surgeon performed a breast reduction – a different operation entirely.

Neither time did she hear from her surgeon afterwards, despite her pleas. Indeed, she had a proper medical consultation with her surgeon only on the eve of the operation, in Poland, when she was belatedly told through an interpreter what the procedure would involve and its risks. All she had to do for her booking to be accepted was to email photographs for the surgeon to look at.

But Mr Mercer says: ‘It’s absolutely unacceptable that patients only see their surgeon and hear the risks on the eve of their operation, by when they’ve invested their time and money in travelling abroad.’

NURSES 'COMMUNICATE WITH CARDS'

Polish nurses at the hospital used by Secret Surgery have such poor English that the company is considering introducing picture cards to communicate with clients.

Patients will be asked to point to the cards for basic requests, such as water and ‘please call the doctor’ or ‘I need to go to the toilet’.

New figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) show problems from overseas procedures are on the rise, with 60 per cent of their members reporting an increase in complications, usually caused by poor aftercare, outdated procedures and poorly performed operations.
About 25,000 people now have cosmetic procedures abroad each year, often lured by low prices.

‘There’s currently little regulation of cosmetic clinics in Britain, let alone abroad, and if something goes wrong abroad there’s nothing you can do,’ says Nigel Mercer.

‘The clinic may have no medical insurance and there’s no comeback on the British company arranging the trip as technically they’re acting only as a travel agent.’

Yet while one in 25 cosmetic surgery procedures brings a complication – and going abroad further increases that risk as flying raises the chance of a pulmonary embolism – most companies offering cosmetic surgery overseas do not mention the risks.

Many, like Secret Surgery, provide no proper patient consultation or complication information before booking.

June decided on the £2,810 tummy tuck after losing 5st by having a gastric sleeve in 2011.

‘I loved being slimmer but loose skin can look even worse than fat, and I hated the overhang of my stomach,’ says June, who lives in Hereford with husband Steve, 57, a driving examiner.

‘UK prices were very high so I looked into foreign clinics and found Secret Surgery. The information pack kept reiterating the surgeons’ qualifications and how important safety was, so I thought I’d be really well looked after.’

In January 2012 she paid an £850 booking fee to Secret Surgery owner Angela Chouaib, which covered flights and accommodation, and travelled with Ryanair to Wroclaw on August 22. Once there, she paid the balance of £1,960 for the operation two days later.

She recalls: ‘The procedure went smoothly and it was only when I removed the bandage when I got home that I noticed a bigger scab on part of the stitches.

'Three weeks later the scab came off and a hole opened up. It got bigger and bigger until it was about the size of a 50p.’

June was so worried she emailed pictures to the hospital interpreter – her main contact. But the interpreter insisted it was of no concern.

‘They said it was my body’s reaction to the sutures,’ says June. ‘I was told to keep it clean and dry. It took three months to close and it wept constantly.’

Mr Mercer says: ‘After a tummy tuck, sometimes fat tissue can die, causing these symptoms. June should have been given regular appointments to dress the wound and ensure infection hadn’t set in. And she should have been told about this possible complication so she knew what to expect.’

The result was a partly puckered scar.

The month before her tummy tuck, she had paid Secret Surgery a further £850 booking fee for a breast lift, provisionally booked for December. Despite the problems after the first operation, she decided to go ahead.
‘At the time I was happy with the result of the tummy tuck as I believed their explanation and didn’t realise my wound should have been looked at,’ says June.

‘My breasts have always been quite large, and gravity had taken its toll.’

But in December, when June flew back to Poland, she was shocked by what her surgeon told her. ‘He said he would have to completely detach and reattach my nipples,’ says June. ‘I was horrified, but as I’d already paid, flown out and was geared up, I couldn’t say no.’

After a sleepless night, the next morning June was anaesthetised and taken to theatre – but the operation was halted as her previously healthy blood pressure spiked so high that she was at risk of a stroke. She was told this was due to extreme anxiety and to take beta-blockers for two weeks, then return.

The hospital refunded her fee and she rebooked directly with them for three weeks later, arranging and paying for flights and accommodation herself.

Terror ordeal: June was left traumatized and in agony after her two surgery trips to Poland, but when she tried to complain and demanded aftercare, the only responses the 'UK team and support' gave were threats
But back in the UK, Angela suggested June rebook through her, despite not having refunded the original fee. June refused and heard nothing more before she flew back in January, where she paid the balance of £2,157.

‘I was quite relaxed that time because I knew what was going to happen. But when I woke up and looked down, I thought “Oh my God,” as my nipples looked nearly under my chin.

‘Then when I had the dressing changed I saw my breasts and was absolutely horrified – they were oddly shaped and flat. There was nothing in the middle, where I’d expected two pert full breasts and a cleavage, like in the pictures – instead the tissue had been removed and spread sideways. I told staff I was concerned but they kept saying it would improve as I healed.’

She texted a Secret Surgery ‘patient care manager’, saying she felt ‘absolutely desperate’. The firm replied that it was too soon to worry and to speak to a hospital interpreter. June says: ‘The support I’d expected wasn’t there. My breasts looked worse with every passing week – instead of being hidden in the fold beneath the breast, the scars are actually on the breast, above the bra line.’

RESPONSE FROM SECRET SURGERY
Secret Surgery refutes the allegations made by June, denies any liability and says its contractual obligations were only to provide travel and hospital arrangements, adding ‘Secret Surgery Ltd has acted with the utmost integrity throughout.’

With reference to the cancelled operation, the company says that ‘the state of June’s health was beyond the control of the hospital and not a moral or contractual obligation of Secret Surgery Ltd’.

The breast surgery ‘was not booked or arranged via Secret Surgery Ltd and no contacts exist. Any complaints must be dealt with by the appropriate medical experts who perform the surgery’.

June repeatedly emailed the hospital with photos. ‘Their response was that the results were fine. But I hated my breasts and needed them put right.’

So in April June saw Shivram Singh, a plastic surgeon at Nuffield Health Hereford Hospital. He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The way June looks to me – based on the scars and incision and that her breasts are completely flat – is that it looks more like a reduction than a mastopexy [a breast lift], and that’s what I feel has been done.’

The Polish hospital still insists it was an uplift – showing that major misunderstandings can ensue without proper consultation.

Consultant plastic surgeon and former BAAPS president Fazel Fatah said: ‘If the patient wishes to keep their breast tissue during a lift, you do not remove it – and if you feel that necessary, this must be discussed thoroughly with the patient first.’

June had been blocked from the Secret Surgery Facebook group. So she contacted Angela asking why. Bizarrely, she received a threatening email from Angela’s mother, who was working for the company, warning: ‘I will kill for my children.’

The relationship between June and Angela deteriorated to the point that the police intervened, advising both women not to make contact.

When June sought compensation to cover her extra expenses, she received a letter offering £400 if she signed a gagging order. ‘I refused. There is no way I’ll be silenced after what I’ve gone through.’



Source HERE

This is such a sad and shameful story what happened to this poor lady

It really is so important when women look into booking surgery abroad that they check the 'terms and conditions' on the website. Generally you really are only dealing with a travel agent and they except NO responsibility for you as you WILL be signing a disclaimer before you go and if of anything does go wrong... You're on your own!

Sir Bruce Keogh has laid bare shamefully inadequate practices in this sector.

His report echoed the legislative safeguards we are demanding to protect the public from irresponsible clinics: a minimum standard of training and experience for cosmetic surgeons; a regulatory body of registered, properly insured members; an end to hard-sell tactics; and a 30-minute consultation with the surgeon for all patients at least two weeks before they consent to the procedure

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The sooner these legislations are set in place the better for us all. Xx

I cant believe after such a bad result after her tummy she then went back to have more surgery with them! and to top it off they did the wrong procedure! Crazy ...

A few of us have spoken about surgery abroad but I really don't think its worth taking the risk! Yes there are some women who are happy with their results but there are so many negatives and even more risks!

I really hope as many women as possible never do this! xx