I was left with 12cm HOLE in leg that smelled like rotten eggs after botched £3.5k plastic surgery op – I could’ve died
A WOMAN who has spent over £20,000 on cosmetic surgeries was “horrified” after she was left with a 12cm hole in her leg – that “smelt like rotten egg”.
Harleigh Kamal, 31, wanted a "refresh" of her upper thighs after years of feeling insecure about the appearance of her legs.
She considers herself "no stranger" to aesthetic surgery, having already spent around £17,000 on procedures over the years, including BBL, rhinoplasty, boob augmentation and liposuction.
Harleigh booked herself in for a thighplasty to “slim down” her thighs at a clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, for £3,500, and flew out on August 3, 2024.
The cosmetic surgery removes excess skin and fat from the thighs to create a more toned and shaped appearance.
After spending three hours under the knife, Harleigh woke up in "total agony" from the surgery.
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She 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 said NHS medics told her she "was lucky not to have sepsis".
Despite multiple attempts to reach out to the clinic, Harleigh says she hasn't heard from them since and they have not admitted to any wrongdoing.
Harleigh, a writer, from Kidderminster, West Midlands, 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".
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 thighplasty - which removes excess skin and fat to improve appearance, comfort, and clothing fit.
After finding a private clinic on Instagram in Turkey, Istanbul, Harleigh had an online consultation and the skin removal was booked for August 3, 2024.
However, on arrival, Harleigh claimed 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."
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, Birmingham, 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 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.
“It's in Istanbul, 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.
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"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."
