Victims of Sk:n clinics’ sudden closure converse out

Furious customers have been left £11,000 out of pocket and with unfinished laser treatments after the collapse of one of Britain’s largest plastic surgery providers. 

Sk:n Group, which had over 70 brands including the Harley Medical Group, ceased trading last week after failing to secure investment. 

Hundreds of staff lost their jobs overnight, while many customers were left out of pocket and with unfinished treatments. 

Donna Neil, 42, paid almost £11,000 for tummy tuck surgery scheduled for September, after saving up for years following the birth of her children. 

But she received an email last week to say the treatment could no longer be completed, despite paying the hefty fee upfront. 

The chain, which was founded in 1990, offered a range of services and treatments including wart removal, botox, facelifts, tummy tucks and breast augmentations.

Other customers, like Sophie Thompson from Cambridge, were mid-way through a course of treatment when the news broke.

The 28-year-old from South Cambridgeshire was receiving laser hair removal treatment at the Sk:N clinic in Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. 

Ms Thompson had her first consultation in August 2021 and a full course of treatment, which she had been ‘topping-up’ as per recommendations. She estimates she has spent around £3,000 at the Sk:n clinic altogether.

She told MailOnline: ‘I was absolutely shocked and upset by the news. 

‘I’m autistic so this has caused me stress. My grandmother who lives with me is angry that they took my money just ten days ago for a top-up course on July 13 when the bosses must have known there was a problem. 

‘They owe me approximately £800 for treatment that I have paid for that I haven’t received yet. I have only just about been able to afford this treatment because I live with my Grandmother and we’re careful with our money.’

Sophie added: ‘I received no communication about the closure whatsoever by email, phone or letter. I only found out when I went to double check the appointment date yesterday on their website which I couldn’t do because it had been shut down.

‘I have also only had two treatments of the eight booked.

‘The staff who worked at Brooklands Avenue were always friendly and I had good treatment. I feel that they must also be suffering from this sudden closure.’  

Donna Neil, 42, wanted to feel more comfortable in her body after her C-section scars knocked her confidence. 

She initially paid £125 for a consultation with a surgeon in October and a further £650 deposit in April. 

Ms Neil made the full payment of £10,095 for her treatment in July only to later be told her surgery has been cancelled.

She told The Telegraph: ‘I’ve been in touch with the bank. I’ve cried, I’ve wept, I’ve done the whole lot. It’s the money I’d saved for a better me, for a better mindset.’

Ms Neil paid for the treatment by debit card and has contacted her bank who has told her she will have to wait 15 days for an update. 

Two customers of the Sk:n clinic on Union Street, in Aberdeen, paid a total of £800 for the removal of two tattoos.

Couple Connie Smith, 50, and Ricardo Campos, 46, had paid a total of £800 for the removal of two tattoos, but were only three appointments in when they were alerted to news that the company had ceased trading. Between eight to 12 appointments were recommended for the tattoo removal.

Speaking to the Press and Journal, Connie said the pair had both decided in February that they wanted to remove two tattoos they had done when they were younger, and proceeded to book with Sk:n.

They purchased a ‘clock booking’ which totaled £800.  

She said: ‘We got to the third session which was last week, and then we got this vague email yesterday which told us they couldn’t carry out the treatment anymore.

‘I’m not going to lie, I was very angry when I opened it up, we were going to be £800 out of pocket.

‘I just feel disappointed – maybe to other people £800 is not a lot of money, but it is for me.’

Connie told the publication she is ‘hopeful’ though not confident that she and her partner will be able to recover the costs as she had emailed the company but not had any response.

Alex Painter, 42, from Northamptonshire made an appointment to have a mole on his nose checked, it was reported in The Telegraph. 

He paid privately after trying many times to get a GP appointment through the NHS.

He paid £50 through the online form for an initial appointment, scheduled for August 17, and found out a day later that the firm had folded.

He told the newspaper he received a one-line email which did not mention anything about refunds. 

One customer, who asked not to be identified, said their upcoming appointment had been cancelled ‘out of the blue’.

They added that they had pre-paid about £700 for a series of appointments, and had not completed the course of treatment.

‘They’ve done this with no prior warning to customers, with no communications about how to get a refund on the treatments customers are owed,’ the person said.

Another customer, journalist Sophia Smith Galer, said she had also arrived at an appointment last week only to find the clinic had closed.  

‘Totally wild that I have turned up for my laser and the clinic was shut,’ she wrote on X. ‘Rang them up – Sk:n Clinics have ceased trading along with the group they were part of!!!! As of a few hours ago it seems – another client had her appt confirmed this morning.’

Meanwhile, Cathryn Kemp said she received a call saying her doctor was running late before an email arrived saying her appointment had been cancelled. She then called the clinic, only to be told it had ceased trading. 

The Birmingham-based company claims to have ‘the largest network of specialist skin care clinics in the UK’.

Over its 34 years in business, it expanded to locations in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, as well as having 17 clinics across London.

It also owned brands including cosmetic surgery firm Harley Medical Group and skin technology company ABC Medical, whose phone lines had the same automated message.

Sk:n had more than 450 consultants, doctors, nurses and medical practitioners operating across England and Scotland.

Meg Mathews, former music PR and ex-wife of Noel Gallagher, launched a new branch of Sk:n in Maida Vale, London, in 2007. 

She was pictured cutting the ribbon at the launch and speaking with staff.

Ms Mathews has been one of the UK’s foremost menopause campaigners, particularly its effects on the skin. 

She previously told The Telegraph how she has always suffered from sun damage, as well as dry skin during the menopause.

She has even launched her own brand of skincare called Meg’s Menopause. 

Sk:n’s website has been replaced by a message saying the company had ‘undertaken an extensive process to secure investment to enable it to continue trading but sadly we’ve been unsuccessful’. 

It added: ‘We recognise this outcome will have a significant impact on our team members and our customers and we are deeply sorry for the stress and inconvenience this has caused.

‘We are doing all we can to address the concerns of those affected and will be contacting all clients still awaiting test results as soon as possible. All further updates will be provided on this website and when available.’

Meanwhile, Sk:n’s accounts on X and Instagram, also appeared to have been cancelled. 

Communications firm Kendall, which was Sk:n’s PR agency, wrote in a post on Instagram that it was ‘blindsided’ by the news.

The post indicated that Sk:n had ceased trading but that ‘at this time we have no information for the press and patients who are understandably reaching out to us wanting clarity on the situation’.

‘We have no information regarding how things are being managed by Sk:n (or HMRC/debt collection), or how cancelled patient appointments/payments etc. will be redressed.

‘We are unfortunately in the same position as many staff and patients, with several months of (our) own invoices being left unpaid with no explanation or redress.’