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

Nikita had stitches in her upper eyelids. This photo was taken seven days after her bleph procedure

"Everyone made it out to be so easy, but my face felt like it was on fire and there was a horrible 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 specialising in surgery around the eyes - say a concerning number of patients are reporting problems from cheap bleph surgery, typically carried out abroad.

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.

As well as Nikita, we have spoken to dozens of people who have experienced problems - including one woman who had to tape her eyes shut to sleep because too much eyelid skin had been removed, while another feared she was losing her sight.

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