By Cosmetic surgeries in the UK have been under intense scrutiny in the wake of the PIP breast implant scare. Following the scandal, an in-depth review was undertaken by a team who will make recommendations to the government.
In the meantime, NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, who worked on the review, has discussed some of his findings, suggesting tighter regulation will be required for all procedures from breast implants to non-surgical fillers, and that there will be minimum training requirements for surgeons.
Sir Bruce said: “Many questions have been raised, particularly around the regulation of clinics, whether all practitioners are adequately qualified, how well people are advised when money is changing hands, aggressive marketing techniques, and what protection is available when things go wrong.”
Another criticism of the industry was on the methods used to sell procedures to customers.
“I think that there are some very good parts of the cosmetic intervention and surgery industry but there are also some pretty grubby areas,” Sir Bruce said.
“There are some pretty hard sales techniques out there at the moment. For example, there are some surgical interventions being offered where if you decide to have it quickly you get a discount. I think that’s scandalous.”
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has welcomed the review and agrees that those seeking cosmetic surgery for psychological reasons should be protected from aggressive advertising. This is in line with suggestions earlier this year, which advocated the psychological screening of all potential plastic surgery patients before they went under the knife.
