Open wounds and eyes that can't close - women warn about cheap bleph eyelid surgery

"Everyone made it out to be so easy, but my face felt like it was on fire and there was a terrible smell of burning skin," says Nikita Morgan, as she describes her eyelid surgery.

She decided to get a blepharoplasty, or a "bleph", removing skin from just above the eyes - after seeing videos about it on social media. Even though she was given a local anaesthetic, Nikita felt extreme pain.

Oculoplastic surgeons - doctors specializing in surgery around the eyes - say a concerning number of patients are reporting problems from cheap bleph surgery, typically carried out abroad.

Watch: 'My eyelids split open and became infected - I was scared to sleep'

They have told the BBC the demand for this procedure, which normally costs thousands of pounds in the UK, has increased as part of a wider aesthetic trend to tighten, smooth and lift the face.

Surgeons say complications have been linked to clinics across mainland Europe, Africa and Asia, and, when they occur, the lack of aftercare puts a burden on the NHS.

Source: BBC News Health RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)