The spooky Side Of Cosmetic Surgery

Considering plastic surgery? Choose your clinic, surgeon and procedure carefully to bypass disaster and avoid having to arrange compensation claims.

Plastic surgery is more popular than ever in the UK and abroad, with many UK citizens choosing to travel overseas to get cheaper procedures. Whilst getting a cheaper deal in another country can save you money, it can also lead to a myriad of problems which you’re far less likely to suffer if you opt for surgery in the UK. However, it’s still essential to consider the risks in the UK too and ensure you have the information you need to make an informed decision as to whether cosmetic augmentation is the right choice for you.

The Importance of finding a Professional Surgeon

A recent case in the US highlighted the importance of ensuring that any procedure you have carried out is done by a properly qualified person. Claudia Seye Aderotimi died when an unapproved liquid silicone was injected into her buttocks after she’d arranged the procedure over the internet and visited a hotel to have it carried out. The case illustrates the casual attitude towards cosmetic surgery and highlights just how important it is not to go under the knife blindly.

Surgery Statistics

A report carried out last September found that many UK cosmetic surgery centres were failing to provide adequate assessment and patient care both pre and post-surgery. In addition, there was a worrying ‘have a go culture’ emerging where teams were attempting rarely performed operations without adequate training.

The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death report investigated over 350 UK surgery companies and found that many staff were not experienced enough to be offering the range of procedures they had available.

Companies should be performing at least 20 operations annually to provide them with the right experience, but with the exception of breast augmentations this simply wasn’t happening. According to the report only a quarter of the companies investigated had managed to reach this number, whilst treatment and monitoring both before and after surgery were found to be lacking.

Regulation

The Quality Care Commission (CQC) became responsible for regulating the plastic surgery industry in the UK last October which means that hospitals and independent clinics providing cosmetic procedures must be licenced with the CQC, but it’s still important to take care over the surgeon you choose and ensure they are registered both with CQC and the General Medical Council.

Surgery Abroad

According to a British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) survey carried out in 2009, over the last decade here has been a marked increase in the number of patients experiencing complications after surgery performed abroad. The organisation warns that anyone considering surgery abroad should carry out extensive research before settling on a surgeon and be wary of internet sites that offer to find surgeons on behalf of patients. It’s also important to bear in mind that recovering from surgery can take several weeks so if you do opt to go abroad it will be much more difficult to receive adequate aftercare.

Making a Claim

If you've had a cosmetic procedure that you’re not happy with it may be possible to make a claim for compensation. If you’d like to make a claim get in touch with a specialist law firm to find out more about how to claim compensation for a botched cosmetic procedure.

Joe Reeve is a fully qualified solicitor who specialises in personal injury. Aside from running his own firm from his hometown of Poulton-le-Fyde, he also investigates cosmetic surgery claims on behalf of Blackpool Solicitors, which handles hundreds of clinical negligence cases every year.