Fri 28 Jan 2005
The cosmetic surgery industry was once frowned upon and seen as the preserve of celebrities and the super-rich. Now it is booming.
But beneath the glossy facade lurk horror stories of what can happen when doctors with little or no specialist training try to cash in.
The Chief Medical Officer’s tougher standards and regulations outlined today are long overdue but a step in the right direction to protecting vulnerable people from cowboy cosmetic surgery, according to experts.
They say the underlying problem is in general attitudes to the procedures – seen as being closer to the beauty industry than medicine.
Doctors and the public alike often underestimate the complexities and risks involved.
Some doctors set themselves up without the proper specialist training and accreditation for plastic surgery procedures.
And injections of Botox, for example, are sometimes administered by a “lay injector” with no medical qualification at all.
Coupled with this are glossy advertising campaigns which promise life-changing procedures but can fail to highlight off-putting risks.
Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, welcomed the regulations, describing cosmetic surgery was a “medical accident waiting to happen”.
“There is so much money involved. It is such a huge industry that normal quality of care is sometimes compromised,” he said.
In one year, £7 million was paid out in compensation claims for botched plastic surgery but the true extent of blunders is probably much higher.
In some cases private clinics offer corrective surgery, and in others patients are too embarrassed to complain, thinking they will not be treated sympathetically.
Mr Walsh said: “The vast majority of this work is done in the private sector and complaints procedures are inconsistent and opaque compared with the NHS.
“Most commonly, you go in for a breast enlargement, it is botched and they offer to do it again.
“We have had one woman who has had seven corrective procedures following breast surgery.”
Adam Searle is a consultant plastic surgeon and president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
He echoed Mr Walsh’s concerns about training and accreditation of doctors lured by the lucrative business.
Mr Searle said: “It is a very dangerous mix, underpinned by some very unrealistic and inappropriate marketing and advertising.
“One must understand these surgical treatments are not the equivalent of a hair-do. Surgery, even when it is performed to the highest standard, can have complications.”
But he also stressed there were important positive benefits that cosmetic surgery, expertly carried out, can bring to those whose lives have been blighted by disfigurement.
“There is no doubt there are people who will benefit enormously from well performed plastic surgery – the correction of a really terrible nose can do an enormous amount for a person’s self-esteem.”
Mr Searle gave the example of a 19-year-old girl who had one F-cup breast and one A-cup breast who had surgery, following several consultations with her and her family.
He said: “One can be reasonably optimistic she will be substantially better in herself having had this done.”
On the regulations, he added: “Some inspection of what is going on is long overdue. An inquiry or a report is just the beginning.”
In August last year, a survey revealed that one in five women and more than 10% of men wanted cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance.
And recent figures show that operations in Britain rose by more than a half last year.
BAAPS said its members carried out 16,367 procedures last year compared with 10,738 in 2003.
The most popular procedures were breast surgery, facelifts and eye surgery for women and a nose job for men.
Doctors say the increase in the popularity of cosmetic procedures is fuelled by more affordable operations, with breast enlargement costing £4,000 to £5,000, a facelift and eyelid surgery £7,000 to £8,000 and a new nose £3,500 to £4,000.
Over Christmas, Botox injections for a firmer complexion soared in popularity as a must-have gift.
However, cosmetic surgery can make body-conscious girls and young women feel under greater pressure to have the perfect face and figure.
The backlash against cosmetic enhancement was illustrated by a radio station in Birmingham which burnt £5,000 after its listeners voted to set fire to it rather than squander it on a breast enlargement operation.
Action against Medical Accident has given examples of real people whose hopes of being given a beauty boost were dashed by botched procedures.
BAA says that while the range of cases vary greatly in terms of the kind of treatment and the severity of the physical damage caused, they have all suffered the same distress as a result.
The identities of the people involved in the following cases have been changed to protect their anonymity.
Alan did not like his nose and saw a private surgeon about a rhinoplasty operation.
He was very dissatisfied with the results and when he complained the surgeon offered to do it for him again, which he did.
This time, he was not just disappointed with the result, but was left with an ongoing irritation. He was not warned of the possibility of this complication.
Alan had spent all of his savings and suffered depression because of the experience.
Clare suffered six months of severe pain after having liposuction carried out at a private health organisation.
She had been advised that the procedure was straightforward and practically risk-free.
David paid for private surgery which he was told would “enhance” his penis by increasing length and width by using fat taken from his stomach.
It turned into what he described as an “horrific nightmare”, with his penis being made “grotesque” and de-sensitised.
He tried lodging a formal complaint, but never received a reply. He is exploring the possibility of a clinical negligence claim.
Elaine paid for a Botox injection at a private clinic. She was left with an unsightly dent on her forehead.
But beneath the glossy facade lurk horror stories of what can happen when doctors with little or no specialist training try to cash in.
The Chief Medical Officer’s tougher standards and regulations outlined today are long overdue but a step in the right direction to protecting vulnerable people from cowboy cosmetic surgery, according to experts.
They say the underlying problem is in general attitudes to the procedures – seen as being closer to the beauty industry than medicine.
Doctors and the public alike often underestimate the complexities and risks involved.
Some doctors set themselves up without the proper specialist training and accreditation for plastic surgery procedures.
And injections of Botox, for example, are sometimes administered by a “lay injector” with no medical qualification at all.
Coupled with this are glossy advertising campaigns which promise life-changing procedures but can fail to highlight off-putting risks.
Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, welcomed the regulations, describing cosmetic surgery was a “medical accident waiting to happen”.
“There is so much money involved. It is such a huge industry that normal quality of care is sometimes compromised,” he said.
In one year, £7 million was paid out in compensation claims for botched plastic surgery but the true extent of blunders is probably much higher.
In some cases private clinics offer corrective surgery, and in others patients are too embarrassed to complain, thinking they will not be treated sympathetically.
Mr Walsh said: “The vast majority of this work is done in the private sector and complaints procedures are inconsistent and opaque compared with the NHS.
“Most commonly, you go in for a breast enlargement, it is botched and they offer to do it again.
“We have had one woman who has had seven corrective procedures following breast surgery.”
Adam Searle is a consultant plastic surgeon and president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
He echoed Mr Walsh’s concerns about training and accreditation of doctors lured by the lucrative business.
Mr Searle said: “It is a very dangerous mix, underpinned by some very unrealistic and inappropriate marketing and advertising.
“One must understand these surgical treatments are not the equivalent of a hair-do. Surgery, even when it is performed to the highest standard, can have complications.”
But he also stressed there were important positive benefits that cosmetic surgery, expertly carried out, can bring to those whose lives have been blighted by disfigurement.
“There is no doubt there are people who will benefit enormously from well performed plastic surgery – the correction of a really terrible nose can do an enormous amount for a person’s self-esteem.”
Mr Searle gave the example of a 19-year-old girl who had one F-cup breast and one A-cup breast who had surgery, following several consultations with her and her family.
He said: “One can be reasonably optimistic she will be substantially better in herself having had this done.”
On the regulations, he added: “Some inspection of what is going on is long overdue. An inquiry or a report is just the beginning.”
In August last year, a survey revealed that one in five women and more than 10% of men wanted cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance.
And recent figures show that operations in Britain rose by more than a half last year.
BAAPS said its members carried out 16,367 procedures last year compared with 10,738 in 2003.
The most popular procedures were breast surgery, facelifts and eye surgery for women and a nose job for men.
Doctors say the increase in the popularity of cosmetic procedures is fuelled by more affordable operations, with breast enlargement costing £4,000 to £5,000, a facelift and eyelid surgery £7,000 to £8,000 and a new nose £3,500 to £4,000.
Over Christmas, Botox injections for a firmer complexion soared in popularity as a must-have gift.
However, cosmetic surgery can make body-conscious girls and young women feel under greater pressure to have the perfect face and figure.
The backlash against cosmetic enhancement was illustrated by a radio station in Birmingham which burnt £5,000 after its listeners voted to set fire to it rather than squander it on a breast enlargement operation.
Action against Medical Accident has given examples of real people whose hopes of being given a beauty boost were dashed by botched procedures.
BAA says that while the range of cases vary greatly in terms of the kind of treatment and the severity of the physical damage caused, they have all suffered the same distress as a result.
The identities of the people involved in the following cases have been changed to protect their anonymity.
Alan did not like his nose and saw a private surgeon about a rhinoplasty operation.
He was very dissatisfied with the results and when he complained the surgeon offered to do it for him again, which he did.
This time, he was not just disappointed with the result, but was left with an ongoing irritation. He was not warned of the possibility of this complication.
Alan had spent all of his savings and suffered depression because of the experience.
Clare suffered six months of severe pain after having liposuction carried out at a private health organisation.
She had been advised that the procedure was straightforward and practically risk-free.
David paid for private surgery which he was told would “enhance” his penis by increasing length and width by using fat taken from his stomach.
It turned into what he described as an “horrific nightmare”, with his penis being made “grotesque” and de-sensitised.
He tried lodging a formal complaint, but never received a reply. He is exploring the possibility of a clinical negligence claim.
Elaine paid for a Botox injection at a private clinic. She was left with an unsightly dent on her forehead.