EXCLUSIVE: A ‘Turkey surgery influencer’ made the initial trip to the medical tourism hotspot for a gastric sleeve. She’s now shed the pounds in time for her wedding, but not everyone is pleased
A Turkey surgery-mad mum revealed her dramatic transformation from plus size bridesmaid to teeny bride – but her body still gets trolled.
Lauren Evens, 31, from Chester, spent the majority of her life struggling to get a hold on her weight and would often be ‘put down’ because of it.
She eventually decided to jump on the cheap weight loss op bandwagon as she feared being ‘fat at 30’.
Though, that’s not the only reason that fuelled Lauren’s extreme weight loss – which saw her drop from 24 stone to 9 stone in a matter of months.
The super slimmer was desperate to drop dress sizes after seeing a picture of herself as a size 26 bridesmaid and did not want struggle to fit into her own wedding dress.
So, Lauren saved up £2,300 for a gastric sleeve operation – where 80% of the stomach is removed – and flew to Turkey for the ‘life changing’ procedure.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Lauren said: “I was size 26 as a bridesmaid, had no love for myself, I seriously mentally unwell and in a dark place.
“And now, my wedding dress is size 10! Tears did come to my eyes not just for the physical transformation but the mental transformation too.
“My life has changed for the better.”
Lauren has now splashed £20,000 on treatments in Turkey and is set to travel back there in November to start IVF treatment with her wife-to-be, Hannah.
So far, she’s had eight different treatments – including a bodged boob job and ‘horse’ veneers. Lauren has documented her journey on Instagram and TikTok where she’s racked up a collective 60,000 followers.
As well as being a full-time mum to her three kids, Lauren has established herself as a ‘Turkey surgery’ influencer.
She collaborates with different medical centres, offering her fans discounts and sometimes gets work done for free.
Although she feels a lot happier within herself and her skin, Lauren still endures the wrath of trolls on her Turkey surgery dedicated Instagram account – where she boasts 8,000 followers.
Lauren admitted: “Unfortunately, I get trolled a lot on social media. But, mainly by people who are in the bariatric community
“I find it strange as we are all in the same boat and community!
“Trolls don’t bother me I’ve chosen to share my journey for my own personal reasons I didn’t expect to gain a following.
“I always tell people to research and not go off just what I say.
“Even if some people don’t agree it’s my body, not theirs. So, it’s none of their business what I do to mine.
“Most of my trolls have already had weight loss surgery so don’t know if it’s down to jealousy.”
Lauren is set to get hitched to Hannah in two months time and continues to document her weight loss journey on Instagram, which can be found here.
