Review of cosmetic surgery launched

Sir Bruce Keogh will lead an inquiry into cosmetic surgery
16 August 2012

A major review into cosmetic surgery is being launched in light of the PIP scandal.

NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, who will lead the inquiry, said he fears many people do not realise such procedures can have lifelong implications.

The review was requested by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley after concerns about cosmetic surgery were raised following the public outcry over faulty PIP breast implants and could lead to tighter regulation of the industry.

Sir Bruce said: "The recent problems with PIP breast implants have shone a light on the cosmetic surgery industry. 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... That's why I have put together this review committee to advise me in making recommendations to Government on how we can better protect people who choose to have surgery or cosmetic interventions."

An expert panel, including PIP campaigner Catherine Kydd, former medical director of Bupa Andrew Vallance-Owen and editor of Marie Claire magazine Trish Halpin, will gather evidence before making recommendations to the Government next March. Members of the public are also being asked to share their experiences of cosmetic surgery and views on issues including the safety of products used in such procedures, care during and after treatment, and how much advice is given to those considering surgery.

Mr Lansley has specifically asked the review to consider implementing a national implant register, for products such as breast implants, to identify all those who received the product and details of their operation.

Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), said: "We are delighted that the review is now under way. The BAAPS has been campaigning for many years for better regulations of the cosmetic surgery sector to protect patients. The BAAPS will fully co-operate with the process at all its stages as we would like to ensure a positive outcome from the review that provides safety and security for patients who choose to have cosmetic surgery, and to end unethical practices of patient inducements on the basis of cost."

Sir Bruce has promised to clean up the "grubby areas" of an industry that he says does not give patients enough protection, according to The Times. He said that though there were some very good clinics his inquiry would raise hard questions for the whole industry, telling the newspaper: "You can be a commercial operation that's well run but are you an ethical operation? Is your practice . . . driven purely by financial considerations?"

He said he was likely to recommend tighter rules in several key areas, such as making it routine practice for surgeons to register all devices - from breast implants to hip replacements - on a detailed register that could be used to detect trends and trace individual patients, and requiring clinics to join a scheme, similar to that run by the travel industry, that would offer patients protection if a company went bust.

Other measures could include tightening the rules on anti-ageing dermal fillers, which require only basic safety checks and can legally be injected by anyone, and introducing minimum training requirements for surgeons carrying out cosmetic procedures, he told the newspaper.

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