The SK:N plastic surgery clinic company is collapsing

One of the UK’s biggest plastic surgery providers, which had more than 70 sites across the UK, has collapsed.

Customers who called the SK:N Clinics head office number on Tuesday were told: “Unfortunately, as of July 17, the SK:N Group, including SK:N Clinics, Harley Medical Group, Skinbrands, The Skin Experts and ABC Medical, has ceased operations .”

The Birmingham-based firm previously said it had “the largest network of specialist skin care clinics in the UK”.

Founded in 1990, the company has expanded to sites in Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and has 17 clinics across London.

The company, which also had sites in Wolverhampton and Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, 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 over 450 consultants, doctors, nurses and doctors working across England and Scotland.

The company provided services ranging from tattoo and wart removal to acne and rosacea treatments, as well as lip fillers and thread lifts – a type of facelift.

However, on Wednesday customers were told their appointments would no longer go ahead.

A poster stuck to the window of her clinic in Birmingham city center said: “We are very sorry to inform you that SK:N and The Harley Medical Group have ceased trading as of 17th July.

“As a result, we will no longer provide services from this site with immediate effect.

“Further details will be published on www.sknclinics.co.uk in due course.

“We will contact all clients who are still awaiting test results as soon as possible.”

At 17:00 BST on Tuesday, SK:N’s website was replaced with a message that the company had “undertaken an extensive process to secure investment to continue trading, but unfortunately we were unsuccessful”.

Accounts on X, formerly Twitter and Instagram, also appear to have been shut down.

A statement on the website added: “We recognize that this outcome will have a significant impact on our team members and our customers, and we deeply apologize for the stress and inconvenience this has caused.

“We are doing everything we can to accommodate the concerns of those affected and will contact all clients who are still awaiting test results as soon as possible. Any further updates will be provided on this website as they become available.”

One customer, who did not want to be identified, said his upcoming appointment was canceled “out of the blue” on Tuesday.

They added that they had paid about £700 up front for a series of appointments and had not completed the treatment.

“They did this without prior warning to customers, without communication about how to get reimbursement for the treatment customers owed,” the person said.

Communications firm Kendrick, the company’s PR agency, said in an Instagram post that SK:N has ceased trading.

Kendrick’s post said, “At this time, we have no information for the press and patients who understandably are reaching out to us for clarification.

“We have no information on how SK:N (or HMRC/debt collection) are managing things or how canceled appointments/patient payments etc will be rectified.

“Unfortunately, we are in the same position as many staff and patients and regret that we have no news to share – this situation has blindsided us all.”

SK:N has been contacted for comment.