Weak pound gives UK cosmetic surgery sector a lift

Britain’s cosmetic surgery industry is booming as a result of the UK’s Brexit vote, with enquiries from overseas clients up a third since June’s referendum. Due to the dramatic fall in the value of the pound since the EU Referendum decision, cosmetic surgery tourism to UK clinics is now considerably more affordable to foreign clients.

The current exchange rate means that European customers are paying roughly 15 per cent less than they were before the Brexit vote, while clients from the USA and Australia are benefitting from savings of 17 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

The cost of a £6,000 facelift procedure in the UK has dropped from nearly $9,000 to under $7,500 for clients paying in US Dollars (-16.5%), while the cost to European customers has fallen from €7,850 to around €6,600 (-15%).

Amir Nakhdjevani, lead cosmetic surgeon at the Bella Vou clinic in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said:

Thanks to the low pound, we’ve seen a 32 per cent increase in enquiries over the past few months from male and female clients who live abroad.

The UK has one of the most highly developed cosmetic surgery industries in the world and British surgeons are always in demand with foreign customers, due to the high standards of training and exceptional quality of surgery and care available. Now the exchange rate means that cosmetic surgery in Britain is also far more affordable too.

The majority of our overseas clients are interested in our unique Concept™ Facelift procedure, as well as eyelid surgeries, hair transplants and breast augmentation. Recently we’ve welcomed facelift patients from as far away as New Zealand and Dubai, which is remarkable.

In the past the high cost of cosmetic surgery procedures in the UK has driven consumers to seek cheaper alternatives abroad. Popular destinations among Brits opting for cosmetic surgery tourism have traditionally included countries such as Turkey and Poland, which have lower standards of care and expertise than the cosmetic industry in the UK, often to the detriment of patient safety and results.

However, the current exchange rate means that it is now significantly more expensive for British patients to travel abroad for cosmetic surgery. The weak pound means that Brits are now faced with higher costs for cosmetic procedures overseas, which has led to increased demand at domestic clinics.

Amir continued:

The cosmetic surgery industry is reaping the benefits of favourable exchange rates, which have made our services more affordable to foreign clients, while domestic customers are less willing or able to travel abroad for surgeries as the costs have risen.

We now offer bespoke VIP services to make cosmetic surgery at the clinic even more appealing to foreign audiences. We put together a whole package for these customers, incorporating bookings for all travel and accommodation, as well as the consultation and the procedure itself. Thanks to technological advances, we can offer video consultations and we’re even investigating ways to incorporate virtual reality into our consultation process to help our overseas clients to make an informed decision about their surgical options.