Something new? Increasing number of brides opt for pre-wedding cosmetic surgery

Posted: 03/10/2016

Surgeons have seen a rise in the number of people requesting cosmetic surgery and cosmetic treatments just before their wedding day. This rise seems to have been fuelled by the growing number of photos taken of people on the day which are then shared on social media sites such as Facebook. The most popular pre-big day procedures are reported to include Botox, facelifts and nose reshaping.

Penelope Burkitt, a Bristol make-up artist aged 47, had £15,000 worth of plastic surgery before her wedding including two facelifts and nose reshaping. Mrs Burkitt said that she refused to get married until the procedures were carried out as she did not want to walk down the aisle with a ‘craggy face’. Despite already having had a number of Botox procedures, she felt that further surgery “was a necessity”.

Mrs Burkitt used to work as a receptionist at a cosmetic surgery clinic and met her husband when he attended the clinic for a hair transplant. He understood her wish for plastic surgery, and although he felt she did not need the face lift and nose reshaping procedure, he ultimately agreed to pay for them before they were married. Mrs Burkitt had an endoscopic face lift, a procedure which takes 10.5 hours and lifts the cheeks, brows and forehead. Her nose was reshaped at the same time.

Elise Bevan, a solicitor in the clinical negligence team at Penningtons Manches LLP, said: "We have acted for clients who have undergone cosmetic procedures just before their wedding day and have unfortunately experienced a bad outcome. For many of those clients, their big day was almost ruined by what happened. We urge people contemplating any treatment or surgery at this special time to consider the risks carefully and weigh up the possible consequences if things do not go according to plan."

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