A woman who flew to Lithuania for a £7,000 face and necklift to ‘feel younger’ claims it left her with hearing loss and a ‘lopsided’ mouth.
Angela Paterson, 48, saved up for two years and spent over £8,000 on a facelift, necklift and upper blepharoplasty in Kaunas, including flights, accommodation and pet-sitting costs.
But after the surgery she claims she had hearing loss and her mouth looked ‘lopsided’.
And 14 months after recovering, Angela said she still had scarring around her neck, a ‘bunched-up eye’ from tight stitches and lasting hearing loss in one ear.
She is set to fly to Turkey for revision surgery to fix her neck and eye next month – and says it will cost over £7,000 for the operation and travel costs.
Angela, a tattoo artist, from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, said: ‘My confidence level, my mental health has all taken a dip because of it all.
‘It’s really traumatic. I don’t go out anymore. I wanted to get this done to feel more confident, to feel younger and better about myself.
‘I’ve been left looking at myself and saying “I’m not happy with this”. It’s had a severe impact on my mental health.’
Angela Paterson, 48, saved up for two years and spent over £8,000 on a facelift , necklift and upper blepharoplasty in Kaunas, including flights, accommodation and pet-sitting costs
And 14 months after recovering, Angela said she still had scarring around her neck, a ‘bunched-up eye’ from tight stitches and lasting hearing loss in one ear
She is set to fly to Turkey for revision surgery to fix her neck and eye next month – and says it will cost over £7,000 for the operation and travel costs.
Angela flew to Kaunas and underwent a facelift, necklift and upper blepharoplasty at Nordesthetics Clinic in September 2024.
Having seen positive reviews of the clinic and undergone successful surgery in Turkey before, she believed she was in good hands.
She said: ‘I love Turkey for surgery but I heard great things about Lithuania and the flight was only two and a half hours so it felt a little easier for post-surgery.
‘At the time, I had no concerns at all. As far as I was concerned, I was going to a reputable company.’
Following the surgery, Angela claimed she was suffering hearing loss and noticed her mouth was lopsided.
‘The right side of my mouth was lifted right up and the left side was drooping down’, she said.
She says she raised those concerns ‘the very morning after’ the operation but the clinic says it has no record of this.
She stayed in the Baltic country for six more days before flying home.
A month later, Angela told the clinic her recovery was going ‘well’ but highlighted bumps around her chin and a lisp caused by her uneven mouth.
The clinic assured her the issues were normal at her stage of healing.
She also expressed worries over a potential infection at the incision point but was told the cut was not infected.
Months later and still dealing with a prominent mark under her chin which shows when she talks, Angela became ‘really concerned’ about lasting effects.
She also raised the alarm over scarring around her neck, a bunched-up eye she says was caused by tight stiches, lasting hearing loss in one ear and visible platysma bands.
Her lopsided mouth has eased but still shows when she talks, she added.
She continued: ‘I’ve got lumps and bumps everywhere on neck. I’ve got a big mark under my chin that’s really noticeable when I talk. I’ve been wearing wigs to cover the damage.’
Six months after the operation, the clinic offered Angela revision surgery on her scars for £600.
Having seen positive reviews of the clinic and undergone successful surgery in Turkey before, she believed she was in good hands
She also raised the alarm over scarring around her neck, a bunched-up eye she says was caused by tight stiches, lasting hearing loss in one ear and visible platysma bands
Six months after the operation, the clinic offered Angela revision surgery on her scars for £600
In five weeks’ time, she will travel to Turkey to repair her platysma bands, get a temporal lift on her eye and ‘level out’ of the scarring and lumps on her neck
But she claims surgeons in UK and Turkey insisted she had insufficient skin for revision surgery and steroid injections and Co2 laser treatment, costing at least £3,000 in total.
She made a formal complaint to the clinic in Lithuania in July 2025 – but the clinic said she provided ‘no new evidence’ to back up her claims.
Another offer of revision surgery for £600 was made three months later, but she said she could no longer afford travel costs by then as her insurance had run out.
Angela said she has sought legal advice but claims UK lawyers have refused to take up her case as she received surgery in Lithuania.
She said: ‘When you look up medical negligence abroad, lots of lawyers show up but when you phone them and say Lithuania they say that’s out of our jurisdiction.
‘Yes, I made the decision to go abroad. I get that and people will say that’s my decision.
‘But the point I need to get across to people is that a court won’t represent you in Lithuania. In Turkey they would. I didn’t know that before I went out.
‘[To fight the case] I would need to pay many, many thousands upfront to a Lithuanian lawyer, probably more than the surgery itself.’
In five weeks’ time, she will travel to Turkey to repair her platysma bands, get a temporal lift on her eye and ‘level out’ of the scarring and lumps on her neck.
The surgery itself is set to cost £6,500 but she has also had to pay £443 on flights and £350 for pet-sitting.
A spokeswoman for Nordesthetics said: ‘All patients, including Ms Paterson, are informed of the risks and potential complications before surgery, and they confirm in writing that they are aware of these risks.
‘Post-operative scarring is one of the complications Ms Paterson had been made aware of before the surgery.
‘This complication is caused by the body’s response to the surgery and may be influenced by different aspects of a patient’s physique that cannot be determined before the surgery.
‘Since the surgery performed on Ms Paterson complied with all medical standards, this complication is considered a risk that the patient was made aware of beforehand.
‘She had also been informed that she potentially might need scar revision surgery, and the clinic offered this surgery after an appropriate scar healing period.’
