A woman has shared her traumatic experience after a cosmetic surgery abroad left her with a gaping 12cm hole in her leg and in what she describes as ‘a world of pain.’
Harleigh Kamal, 31, says she was left ‘horrified’ after undergoing a thighplasty procedure to ‘refresh’ the appearance of her upper legs – only to end up with a deep, foul-smelling wound that ‘looked like I’d been bitten by a shark.’
After years of feeling insecure about her thighs, Harleigh decided to undergo the procedure – designed to remove excess skin and fat for a more toned look – at a private clinic in Turkey.
Despite being no stranger to aesthetic enhancements, having already spent around £17,000 on surgeries including a BBL, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, and liposuction, this experience was unlike anything she had faced before.
After spending three hours under the knife, she woke up in ‘total agony’ from the surgery and claimed the stitches in her left thigh appeared ‘loose’ and that the wound was ‘leaking fluid’.
Despite being reassured by medics that it was ‘totally normal’, Harleigh remained in the clinic for three extra days where she was given painkillers.
Arriving back in the UK on August 7, 2024, she went straight to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, to have the wound – which had developed into a 12cm hole and smelt ‘like rotten egg’ – cleaned and bandaged.
Harleigh Kamal, 31, says she was left ‘horrified’ after undergoing a thighplasty procedure to ‘refresh’ the appearance of her upper legs—only to end up with a deep, foul-smelling wound that ‘looked like I’d been bitten by a shark’
12cm hole in Harleigh Kamal’s thigh after botched operation in Turkey
She said NHS medics told her she was ‘lucky not to have sepsis’. But despite multiple attempts to reach out to the clinic, Harleigh claims she hasn’t heard from them since and they have not admitted to any wrongdoing.
Harleigh, a writer, said: ‘I was just after a little bit of a refresh because I’d always felt insecure about my thighs. I’m no stranger to surgery- I’ve had a lot of work done abroad and I love it.
‘I found the clinic on social media and the reviews looked great I thought I knew a good clinic when I saw one.
‘I never go back to the same clinic for cosmetics. But when I woke up, I was in total agony.
‘The inside of my upper thighs were throbbing, and I saw liquid leaking out of them. Despite the medics telling me it was normal I knew right then something wasn’t right.
‘It looked like I had been bitten by a shark because the wound was so deep – I could see a black hole inside my leg. The smell of my wounds was like rotten egg.
‘As soon as I got back to the UK, I went straight to A&E, I was terrified that I would get sepsis and die. Luckily they treated me in the nick of time else who knows where I’d be.
‘My story goes to show botched surgery can happen to anyone – no matter how much work you’ve had done’.
Scarring on Harleigh’s leg following botched surgery in Turkey which left her with a hole in her leg
She said NHS medics told her she was ‘lucky not to have sepsis’. But despite multiple attempts to reach out to the clinic, Harleigh claims she hasn’t heard from them since and they have not admitted to any wrongdoing
Harleigh Kamal pictured just before her operation in Turkey. After spending thousands of pounds in her 20s on aesthetic procedures, Harleigh was looking for something to target her thighs
After spending thousands of pounds in her 20s on aesthetic procedures, Harleigh was looking for something to target her thighs.
She found a plastic surgery procedure called ‘thighplasty’ – which removes excess skin and fat to improve appearance, comfort, and clothing fit.
After finding a private clinic on Instagram in Turkey, Harleigh had an online consultation and the skin removal was booked for August 3, 2024.
However, on arrival, Harleigh claims she was told to pay an additional £1,500 on top of the £2,000 she was originally quoted – forking out a total of £3,500.
‘This should’ve been my first red flag, but I’d already flown out and fasted for eight hours in preparation,’ Harleigh said.
‘They said they didn’t realise how much skin they would have to remove which played with my insecurity, so I went along and paid the extra.’
Three hours later, Harleigh, woke up to feel ‘a world of pain’.
She claimed the stitches in her left thigh appeared ‘loose’ and she noticed a concerning ‘fluid’ from the wound.
She said: ‘I consider myself to have a high pain tolerance, but this was something else.
‘Medics kept saying ‘this is normal’ but I trying to get them to do something because my wounds were leaking.’
However, on arrival, Harleigh claims she was told to pay an additional £1,500 on top of the £2,000 she was originally quoted – forking out a total of £3,500
Harleigh claimed she was given painkillers and advised ‘everything is normal’ before she flew back to the UK three days later.
Arriving back, she went straight to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where her ‘loose’ stitches had begun to smell like ‘rotten egg’.
The wound – which measured 12cm – was cleaned, bandaged up and Harleigh returned home that same day.
Returning to the same hospital weekly, Harleigh’s wounds were cleaned and she was given bandages to ensure they didn’t become infected.
Now recovered, Harleigh, from Kidderminster, West Midlands, said: ‘I never thought something like this couldn’t happen to me because I’m so experienced with going under the knife abroad.
‘I haven’t heard from the clinic since. There’s not much they can do which is a risk I’ve taken. It could’ve taken my life.
‘The NHS couldn’t do much for me because the wound wasn’t their doing, I’m lucky it healed fine.
‘But it doesn’t stop me from wanting to get more work done in the future. I’ll just make sure to really scope out the clinic.’
