Headline: "Doctors warn about backyard surgeries." Who needs to be warned about this?

MEDICAL professionals are dealing with a surge of backyard "body modification" surgeries gone wrong, with two people in South Australia needing intensive care for infections.

Many of the modification procedures being carried out in the state are performed by international professional "skin artists" during fly-in visits, the Sunday Mail reported.

Staff at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) - the largest in the state - said they were alarmed at a "surge" in cases at its emergency department from extreme modifications.

Police were called to investigate one incident involving the hospitalization of a young woman at the RAH this month.

Extreme modification techniques include tongue-splitting, scarification, branding and having implants put under the skin.

"The RAH plastic surgery team are very concerned with the number of patients they are seeing with adverse outcomes from body modification surgeries," emergency department nurse practitioner Melissa Curtis said

"Some patients have required intensive care treatment and these complications ultimately can cause death if not treated in a timely manner.

"The patients who I've seen were required to go to the operating theater to have implants removed because of the severity of the infection."

There are no laws in South Australia outlawing body modification for adults.

Australian Medical Association state president Dr Peter Sharley said: "These are unnecessary and dangerous procedures with risks of hemorrhaging, infection and disfigurement.

"Surgeons are highly trained and would not be involved in this sort of destructive surgery."