- Are YOU affected by the collapse? Please email jon.brady@mailonline.co.uk
Cosmetic surgery provider Skin has collapsed, putting hundreds of jobs and 70 branches at risk.
Customers today told of arriving for their appointments only to find their local clinic had shut down, while anyone calling Skin’s main office number earlier this week were told the chain had ‘ceased trading’.
The Birmingham-based company claims to have ‘the largest network of specialist skin care clinics in the UK’.
Founded in 1990, the company expanded to locations in Manchester, Liverpool, 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.
Customers calling Skin’s main office number earlier this week were told the chain had ‘ceased trading’
Skin had more than 450 consultants, doctors, nurses and medical practitioners operating across England and Scotland.
The company provided services from tattoo and wart removal to lip filler and thread lifts, a type of facelift.
However, customers were yesterday told their appointments would no longer go ahead.
One customer, who asked not to be identified, said their upcoming appointment had been cancelled on Tuesday ‘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 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 yesterday 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.
Skin had more than 450 consultants, doctors, nurses and medical practitioners operating across England and Scotland
Skin’s website was 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, Skin’s accounts on X and Instagram, also appeared to have been cancelled.
Communications firm Kendall, which was Skin’s PR agency, wrote in a post on Instagram that it was ‘blindsided’ by the news.
The post indicated that Skin 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.’