British woman died after Brazilian butt lift in Turkey went wrong when surgeon ‘left halfway through operation’
A British woman has died following a botched Brazilian butt lift operation in Turkey, when the surgeon “left halfway through the operation”, an inquest has heard.
Hayley Dowell, 38, went under the knife in October 2023 for a Brazilian butt lift (also known as a BBL), a tummy tuck and liposuction.
The three surgeries were sold as a package deal costing more than £7,000, which Dowell found after researching options herself.
Neil, her husband, said: “We found a surgeon that had a clinic named after himself. He was one of the [top five] surgeons in Turkey.”
The pair jetted off to Turkey on October 1 and the 38-year-old received the procedure the following day at the BHT Clinic in Istanbul. However, “at around midnight” that evening, she had died from medical complications.
Neil told Winchester Coroner’s Court: “It should have been a six-hour operation but it wound down to one hour 45 [minutes].
“The surgeon left halfway through the operation and left the anaesthetist to do the job. You can’t do both at the same time.”
He said that the doctors did not outline the risk of the procedure to his wife. He also told the coroner that Hayley had “only consented to two” of the three operations – he did not identify which two.
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A preliminary hearing into her death was told that she suffered from embolism – a complication that can happen after surgery which can result in fatal blood blockage.
Her mother, Ann, said that her daughter “would not have known the risks” of the operation she did not consent to.
Nicholas Walker, area coroner for Hampshire, said he will be conducting a full investigation into the death of the 38-year-old.
A full inquest will take place in January.
On its website, BHT Clinic states: “We have the mission of ‘Becoming a World Brand in Health’ by applying patient and employee safety in international quality standards based on ethical principles with its medical infrastructure.”
The clinic did not have an official representative at the preliminary hearing.
She is one of six Britons known to have died in Turkey in 2023 following medical procedures.