Harley Street doctor launches charity to help British soldiers disfigured in battle

Vital treatment: Patient Mark Allen

A Harley Street doctor who helps British soldiers disfigured in battle has launched a charity with his wife to fund their ongoing treatment.

Dr Aamer Khan is working with Afghanistan veterans including Mark Allen, who lost his legs when he stepped on a bomb, and Martyn Compton, who was badly burned when his armoured vehicle was hit by a Taliban missile.

Dr Khan and wife Lesley Reynolds run Harley Street Skin Clinic. They set up the Back on Track charity and want to raise £250,000 a year to fund the treatment of 10 injured soldiers, from facial reconstruction to non-surgical procedures to reduce the impact of scars.

The aim is to provide help that is not available at Headley Court — the defence medical rehabilitation centre near Epsom — or on the NHS. 

“We realised there was a huge need for helping people in the situation where the NHS had done everything it could and they’d been discharged from Headley Court,” said Dr Khan.

“They had done the basics of getting them back on their feet, but it wasn’t enough to get them back into life.” The clinic helped refer Mr Compton for plastic surgery at a specialist NHS unit at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Back on Track: Harley Street's Dr Khan with patient Mark Allen and Lesley Reynolds

He was serving in the Household Cavalry when he was caught in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED). It destroyed his eyelids, meaning his eyes are always open, placing him at risk of losing his vision from chronic eye disease.

Mr Allen, 26, has undergone more than 20 treatments for shrapnel wounds to his arms and neck sustained while serving with 1st battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment in 2010. He first met Dr Khan when his girlfriend bought him a treatment as a gift.

“I had lots of scar tissue and shrapnel wounds on my neck and face,” Mr Allen said. “It’s laser treatment. It’s been am-azing. It’s made me more confident and made it easier to go out in public.”

Back on Track and the Irish Guards Benevolent Fund will host a gala dinner next Thursday, with famous names including Patsy Kensit and Claire Sweeney due to attend. The charity also holds an annual celebrity go-kart racing event in September to raise funds.

Dr Khan said: “There are a lot more out there who don’t know they can get this help. Our charity covers any soldier who is fighting for the British Army and gets injured in action. We also help them get on track with hobbies.

"Soldiers are active people who love doing things. When they are injured they can’t get back into hobbies because there’s a cost attached to adaptations.”