Cosmetic surgery crackdown after implants scandal
A MAJOR review into cosmetic surgery was launched today following the PIP breast implant scandal.
The inquiry is promising to clean up the “grubby areas” of the industry by giving patients greater protection from cowboy surgeons and clinics.
NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, who is leading the probe, is likely to recommend tighter rules in several key areas of the industry.
Under the proposals, cosmetic surgeons will have to have minimum training requirements before carrying out procedures.
Surgeons will also have to keep a detailed register of all operations.
Clinics will have to join a scheme that would offer patients protection if a company went bust.
Other measures could include tightening the rules on anti-ageing dermal fillers, which can legally be injected by anyone.
Surgeons will also have to keep a detailed register of all operations
Sir Bruce, who was asked to lead the review by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, 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.
“I am concerned that too many people do not realise how serious cosmetic surgery is and do not consider the life-long implications – and potential complications – it can have.”
Concern grew late last year over breast implants, which were made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese.
They were linked to the death of a French woman from a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma, sparking worries among 47,000 British women who were thought to have had them.
The implants were filled with non-medical silicone intended for use in mattresses and more likely to rupture. Experts have said ruptured implants should not cause any long-term problems as they are not toxic.
