Archive · 24 Sep 2026
TikTok Bleph Surgery Trend Brings Serious Overseas Complications
Blepharoplasty, or a “bleph,” is surgery that changes the skin around the eyelids.
Many people are seeing these procedures on social media and choosing cheaper treatment in other countries.
Some patients later had infections, painful wounds, scars or trouble closing their eyes.
Nikita Morgan travelled from Ireland to Germany for a less expensive operation.
She said the surgery hurt badly and that her stitches bled after she flew home.
Doctors say removing too much skin can stop the eyelids from protecting the eyes properly.
Other patients needed treatment after returning to the United Kingdom.
Experts are warning people to consider the risks and the need for follow-up care before choosing surgery abroad.
Women who underwent low-cost eyelid surgery abroad reported infections, scarring, pain and difficulty closing their eyes.
Nikita Morgan travelled from Dublin to Faceland’s Düsseldorf clinic in November 2025 after finding a cheaper procedure through TikTok.
Morgan said she experienced severe pain during surgery and bleeding and impaired vision after flying home the same day.
A British Oculoplastic Surgery Society survey found difficulty closing the eyes was the most commonly reported complication after overseas eyelid surgery.
Videos about blepharoplasty from UK social media accounts received nearly 150 million views across four platforms over three years.
- Who
- Women undergoing overseas blepharoplasty, including Nikita Morgan, and specialist eye surgeons treating complications.
- What
- Patients reported serious complications after low-cost eyelid surgery, including wounds reopening and inability to fully close the eyes.
- When
- The reported surgery took place in November 2025; the social-media view figures cover the previous three years.
- Where
- Procedures were performed abroad, including at a Faceland clinic in Düsseldorf, Germany, with some patients later treated in the United Kingdom.
- Why
- Patients were attracted by lower prices and social-media promotion of blepharoplasty as a way to achieve a more defined or youthful appearance.
- Procedure
- Blepharoplasty, commonly called a “bleph,” reshapes or removes excess skin around the eyelids.
- Reported cost in Ireland
- Nikita Morgan was quoted more than €4,000.
- Overseas cost
- Morgan found the procedure through Faceland for €750.
- Clinic location
- Faceland clinic in Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Most common reported complication
- Difficulty fully closing the eyes, according to a survey of 63 British Oculoplastic Surgery Society members.
- Other complications
- Infections, excessive scarring, uneven eyes, pain and wounds reopening.
- Social-media reach
- Blepharoplasty videos from UK accounts received almost 150 million views across four major platforms over three years.