“Trolls said my £6k Turkey facelift was ‘done in a kebab shop'” | UK | News

A woman who came to Türkiye to have a £6,000 facelift was ridiculed by those who saw the results. Deirdre McCarthy, 54, flew to Istanbul for the procedure in April 2026 and has since shared the results online. But those who saw the results of Deirdre’s face and neck lift were left stitch-free.

Deirdre also received upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat injection and CO2 laser treatment. She spent £5,900 on the Best Self Club clinic package, which included accommodation and a two-day hospital stay. If he had had the surgery done in Ireland, where he is from, it could have set him back £38,891.25.

Recovery is going well for the 54-year-old, but he says he has received “bad” comments from the public as he shares his journey online.

The ward manager in Dublin said: “Honestly, anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I always say when the time comes, if I can get my face and neck done, I will do it no matter what.

“It’s always been in the back of my mind and 15 years ago I had a serious accident at home – a freak accident caused by a chemical hitting my face. I’ve healed very well since then, it’s been amazing but I looked in the mirror and could see my scarring everywhere.

“As my lifestyle progressed I probably smoked too much and drank too much, had a bad diet and a bad relationship and all of that takes its toll on your body. Like I said it’s not for anyone else, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and last year I was in a better financial position to be able to go and do it.”

He flew to Istanbul on April 7 and underwent a five-hour surgery a day later. Deirdre added: “I felt great, lightheaded, stiff and tense but had no pain. I did have one or two minor problems, one of which was when I was in Istanbul – I had a slight pressure sore on the side of my face from wearing my dress too tight and for too long, but they provided the necessary medication and cream.”

Deirdre’s comments have been met with both well-wishers and trolls since the surgery. One person wrote: “You’ll look amazing when everything calms down and you’re back to normal, good luck dear.”

Another added: “Did you get this done at a kebab shop in Türkiye?” A third shared: “I don’t know whether to be sad or laugh because why would you do that?”

Deirdre said: “Some say I’m a tough old cookie. Ninety per cent of them were amazing women supporting women, it was amazing. There’s an unashamed group of people who comment ‘just age gracefully’ and ‘why would you put yourself through this, so arrogant’, when that’s not the case at all.

“Those kinds of comments really don’t affect me at all; they might affect other people, so I don’t mind publishing the story here, it’s like water off a duck’s back for me. Some of the comments are absolutely hilarious and I laugh at them. I don’t pay attention to the ones that are a bit mean-spirited.” [to]”To be honest, they’re doing nothing but making themselves look bad.”