Skin, one of Britain’s largest plastic surgery providers with more than 70 branches across the UK, including one in Chester, has collapsed.

Customers calling Skin’s main office number were told: “Unfortunately as of July 17, the Skin Group, including Skin Clinics, the Harley Medical Group, Skin Brands, the Skin Experts and ABC Medical has ceased trading.”

One of the clinics was an award-winning site in Vicar's Lane, Chester, opposite Grosvenor Park, offering 'improved skin health and wellness solutions'.

Treatments included skin peels, skin tag removal, dermatology and laser hair removal.

Skin’s website has since been replaced by a message saying the company had “undertaken an extensive process to secure investment to enable it to continue trading but sadly we’ve been unsuccessful”.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.”

Before the website went down, it said the Birmingham-based company had “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.

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 on Wednesday 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.

Meanwhile, Skin’s accounts on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram, also appeared to have been cancelled.

Communications firm Kendrick, 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, and are sorry to have no news to share – this situation has blindsided us all.”