Doctors have warned about the dangers of cosmetic surgery after a British woman died following an operation at a clinic in Turkey.

Leah Cambridge, 29, from Leeds, died on the operating table at Elite Aftercare in Izmir. She is said to have undergone a “Brazilian butt-lift” procedure, which reshapes the buttocks by transferring fat from areas including the stomach and back.

It is not yet known why Cambridge, who had three children, died, but it is believed there were complications shortly after the procedure.

Her partner, Scott Franks, said on social media: “I just wish this was a bad dream … Two days ago I was happy. Now I’m a broken man and will be for ever. I’m hurt so bad and this is only the start. My life has crashed.”

A study in the US found one in 3,000 patients die from the increasingly popular procedure.

Leah Cambridge.

Bryan Mayou, a consultant plastic surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: “The people who died had a postmortem and they all died from same thing, a fat embolism – so the assumption is fat injected in the wrong place and injected into a vein.

“It is all a question of going to the right person. I am sure in Turkey there are very good plastic surgeons, but you need to be careful.”

Mayou said the NHS was dealing with a rising number of patients with complications from plastic surgery procedures that had gone wrong, some of whom had gone abroad to save money.

“It is becoming more of a problem ... I cannot tell you any figures, but it is notable, I think people do go abroad more and more, and so there are more complications,” he said.

Mayou advised people to properly research their chosen surgeon so they know they will receive a good standard of care. He also emphasised the importance of aftercare.

The Sun reported that the Turkish clinic where Cambridge died claimed to offer patients “UK standards of care”.



Franks, 31, said he had been left a “broken man” and warned others considering going under the knife to think about the risks. “People need to be aware of situations that can happen with this treatment,” he told the Sun. “We are still waiting for answers and are also trying to get a flight to bring Leah home.”

Cambridge’s neighbours described her death as a “tragic waste of life”. One, who did not wish to be named, said: “I’m just so shocked, she was a beautiful woman, absolutely stunning, and your heart goes out to those three little ones.

“Young people like her need telling, all these TV shows and celebrities are putting pressure on these girls to go out and have these expensive treatments. She didn’t need it, she was beautiful how she was.”