I got cheap ‘mom makeover’ surgery in Turkey and it ruined my body

July 27, 2023

What the tuck happened?

A British woman who flew to Turkey for a cut-price tummy tuck says she’s been left in agonizing pain after surgeons botched the budget procedure.

Emma Witney, 46, jetted out to Istanbul on Mar. 7 to undergo the operation at a clinic that is not being named for legal reasons.

The mom-of-six says she wanted a sexy “mommy makeover,” and also received a breast lift and a “fleur de lis” abdominoplasty, designed to remove abdominal fat.

But more than four months on from the procedures, Witney says her swelling has not subsided and she is still struggling with “horrific” pain.

“I got the surgery in the first place because I was depressed and I wanted to feel better about myself,” she told Southwest News Service.

“But it’s gone so badly I’m now having to double my anti-depressant dose. I paid so much money and now I can’t do anything about it.”

Emma Witney, 46, jetted out to Istanbul on Mar. 7 to have a tummy tuck, breast lift and "fleur de lis." — Emma Witney, 46, jetted out to Istanbul on Mar. 7 to have a tummy tuck, breast lift and “fleur de lis.”

Witney says the swelling has not subsided more than four months after the procedure and she's been left "lumpy and bumpy." — Witney says the swelling has not subsided more than four months after the procedure and she’s been left “lumpy and bumpy.”

Witney, who hails from England, says she was left with loose skin across her body after having a gastric bypass in December 2020. She subsequently began to look into options for excess skin removal.

The cash-strapped mama couldn’t afford to have the procedure done in her home country as the cost would have totaled close to $34,000 USD.

Instead, she spotted a deal at a Turkish clinic where the operation was advertised for $9,000.

Witney says there were no negative reviews of the business on Google, so she booked an appointment for this past March.

The cash-strapped mama couldn't afford to have the procedure done in her home country as the cost would have totaled close to $34,000 USD. — Witney says it’s not only her appearance that has left her feeling depressed. She’s also battling agonizing pain since the operation.

However, she started to feel wary about the business before she even went under the knife as they refused to postpone the procedure following the death of her mom.

“I was devastated when they said they couldn’t change the date,” Witney explained. “I felt so guilty leaving my children for a week but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go and do it again.”

After the operation was complete, Witney’s woes only worsened.

"My tummy goes into a V shape, and it's bumpy too," she further declared. "One of my boobs is bigger than the other and my right arm puckers where it's been sewed tightly. It feels so tight and odd." — “My tummy goes into a V shape, and it’s bumpy too,” Witney declared. “One of my boobs is bigger than the other and my right arm puckers where it’s been sewed tightly. It feels so tight and odd.”

She says she awoke in agony and wasn’t given proper pain relief. The mom was also left with lumps and bumps across her abdomen.

“At first I thought it would be okay after the swelling went down,” she stated. “They told me the bumps were fluid that I’d need to get drained out with lymphatic massages.”

Witney has forked out more than $600 on massages in the months since, and the lumps have not subsided.

“My tummy goes into a V shape, and it’s bumpy too,” she mournfully added. “One of my boobs is bigger than the other and my right arm puckers where it’s been sewed tightly. It feels so tight and odd.”

The mom-of-six is seen with her family following the botched op.

Witney is now warning other women not to jet to Turkey for a cut-price procedure, saying it’s better to save up to have the work done in their home countries.

“I never would have expected to have paid all that money and be left like this,” she declared. “Now I don’t have anything left to fix it.”

The clinic has not responded to a request for comment.