A woman who travelled to Lithuania for a face and neck lift in an attempt to “feel younger” has expressed her regret after the procedure allegedly resulted in hearing loss and a “lopsided” mouth, leaving her with a bill of more than £7,000 to rectify it. Angela Paterson, 48, diligently saved for two years and splashed out more than £8,000 on a facelift, neck lift and upper blepharoplasty in Kaunas, which included flights, accommodation and pet-sitting expenses.

Angela Paterson, a 48-year-old woman from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, is grappling with the aftermath of a cosmetic procedure gone wrong. Eager to rejuvenate her appearance, Angela traveled to Kaunas, Lithuania, where she spent over £8,000 on a facelift, neck lift, and upper blepharoplasty. This sum included the costs of flights, accommodation, and pet-sitting services.

Despite her high hopes, Angela’s experience turned nightmarish. She alleges that the surgery left her with hearing loss and a “lopsided” mouth. Now, 14 months after the procedure, she continues to deal with distressing side effects, such as scars around her neck, a “bunched-up eye” from overly tight stitches, and persistent hearing loss in one ear.

Faced with these challenges, Angela is planning another journey—this time to Turkey—in hopes of corrective surgery to address her neck and eye issues. She estimates that the cost of this operation, along with travel expenses, will surpass £7,000.

As a tattoo artist, Angela has found the ordeal particularly challenging. She shared, “My confidence level, my mental health has all taken a dip because of it all. It’s really traumatic.” She explained that the initial goal of the surgery was to boost her self-esteem and help her feel younger, but the results have been anything but satisfactory. “I don’t go out anymore,” she lamented. “I’ve been left looking at myself and saying ‘I’m not happy with this’. It’s had a severe impact on my mental health.”

In September 2024, Angela journeyed to Kaunas and underwent a facelift, neck lift and upper blepharoplasty at Nordesthetics Clinic. Having read positive reviews of the clinic and having previously undergone successful surgery in Turkey, she was under the impression that she was in safe hands.

She said: “I love Turkey for surgery, but I heard great things about Lithuania and the flight was only two-and-a-half hours, so it felt a little easier for post-surgery. At the time, I had no concerns at all. As far as I was concerned, I was going to a reputable company.”

After the procedure, Angela claimed she experienced hearing difficulties and noticed her mouth had become uneven. “The right side of my mouth was lifted right up and the left side was drooping down,” she said.

She says she voiced these worries “the very morning after” the operation, though the clinic maintains it has no documentation of this. She remained in the Baltic nation for another six days before returning home.

A month afterwards, Angela informed the clinic her healing was progressing “well”, but highlighted lumps around her chin and a speech impediment caused by her asymmetrical mouth. She said the clinic reassured her the problems were typical at her stage of recovery.

She also voiced concerns over a possible infection at the incision site, but was told the wound was not infected. Months afterwards, and still dealing with a noticeable mark beneath her chin, which appears when she speaks, Angela became “really concerned” about the permanent effects.

She also sounded the alarm over scarring around her neck, a puckered eye she says was caused by tight stitches, ongoing hearing loss in one ear and visible platysma bands. Her asymmetrical mouth has improved, but still appears when she speaks, she added.

She went on to say: “I’ve got lumps and bumps everywhere on my neck. I’ve got a big mark under my chin that’s really noticeable when I talk. I’ve been wearing wigs to cover the damage.”

Half a year after the procedure, the clinic proposed a revision surgery for her scars at a cost of £600. However, she alleges that surgeons in the UK and Turkey stated she lacked sufficient skin for revision surgery and would instead require steroid injections and Co2 laser treatment costing a minimum of £3,000 per session.

In July 2025, she lodged a formal complaint with the Lithuanian clinic, but they responded saying she provided “no new evidence” to support her allegations. A further offer of revision surgery for £600 was extended three months later, but by then she claimed she could no longer afford the travel expenses as her insurance had expired. Angela has sought legal counsel, but alleges that UK solicitors have declined her case due to the surgery taking place in Lithuania.

She explained: “When you look up medical negligence abroad, lots of lawyers show up, but when you phone them and say Lithuania, they say that’s out of our jurisdiction. Yes, I made the decision to go abroad.

“I get that and people will say that’s my decision. But the point I need to get across to people is that a court won’t represent you in Lithuania.

“In Turkey they would. I didn’t know that before I went out. [To fight the case] I would need to pay many, many thousands upfront to a Lithuanian lawyer, probably more than the surgery itself.”

In five weeks she will be jetting off to Turkey to undergo surgery to repair her platysma bands, receive a temporal lift on her eye and “level out” the scarring and lumps on her neck. The operation itself carries a hefty price tag of £6,500, with additional costs of £443 for flights and £350 for pet-sitting.

A representative for Nordesthetics said: “All patients, including Ms Paterson, are informed of the risks and potential complications before surgery, and they confirm in writing that they are aware of these risks. Post-operative scarring is one of the complications Ms Paterson had been made aware of before the surgery.

“This complication is caused by the body’s response to the surgery and may be influenced by different aspects of a patient’s physique that cannot be determined before the surgery. Since the surgery performed on Ms Paterson complied with all medical standards, this complication is considered a risk that the patient was made aware of beforehand. She had also been informed that she potentially might need scar revision surgery, and the clinic offered this surgery after an appropriate scar healing period.”