A specialist surgeon is warning people against the extreme dangers of weight loss surgery abroad.

Dr Colm O'Boyle was speaking following a sitting of Cork City Coroner’s Court today, which heard the cases of two women who died after travelling to Turkey for weight loss surgery.

A “massive increase” in trips to Turkey for cosmetic surgeries has been reported in the last three years, resulting in at least nine deaths.

Weight loss surgery risks

Dr O'Boyle said people need to understand the risks involved.

“It’s a very bad idea because the preoperative work, the quality of surgery, and the post-operative care can be questionable in a lot of instances,” he said.

“You could get a good surgery abroad but it’s very hard to work out where the best centres are.

“Even in the best centres, there can be complications and if they happen, after coming home it can be difficult to get the right treatment – it could be life-threatening.”

A woman undergoing dental surgery. Image: Yuri Arcurs / Alamy Stock Photo

The obesity surgeon said there are strict processes to abide by.

“They should be seeing a specialised surgeon who will recommend a six-month programme involving a psychologist, dietician, physiotherapist, experienced nurses, a specialist nurse and a full multi-disciplinary team,” he said.

"That’s a vital part of the preoperative work; it’s the kind of surgery you don’t just do off the cuff because you’ll invariably choose the wrong patient or miss medical problems that can cause further problems down the line.”

Lifestyle change

Dr O'Boyle said such surgeries can only work if the patient undergoes a lifestyle change.

“There’s a lot of advice involved and it’s crucial that the patient, in addition to the surgery, changes their lifestyle and they change their diet,” he said.

“That’s why a dietician is heavily involved, and people also need to change their exercise regime.

“I would advise people to swim and some people even do marathons – but they have to completely change their lifestyle to make the surgery work.

“It's a journey that needs to be taken properly or else it won’t turn out very well.”

Main image: Two people in an obesity centre. Image: BSIP SA / Alamy Stock Photo