Tougher Regulations on Cosmetic Surgery for the Coming Year?

If you have browsed through the cosmetic surgery news makers of the past year, it is dotted with a variety of cases both good and disastrous. It is unfortunate that despite the number of successes, there are still those who hit the bitter end. A lot of vulnerable patients have become victims of unguarded and unsafe practices.

This is why it is highly likely that more stringent regulations may have to place on this practice. This came about after a government-ordered review found that that aggressive promotional tactics that often came from salespersons instead of doctors. Also, the number of patients who don’t receive proper aftercare is also increasing.

The NHS review board which was headed by Sir Bruce Keogh was informed that existing controls were not guarding the practice well enough. These were ineffective and did very little to control or stop unqualified practitioners.

One of the concerns that were also raised was to strengthen the support to ban free cosmetic surgery consultations offered by some clinics. They also want to put an end on promotional offers such as two-for one offers and limited discount deals that are luring thousands of patients yearly.

These problems drove health secretary Andrew Lansely to initiate this review in August of 2012 after the PIP breast implant scandal came out. This problem resulted in about 47,000 women in the UK who received the low grade French-made breast implants which had higher risks for ruptures.

The complained called for the need to fix an industry that has been marred with so many wrongful or questionable practices over the years. And this includes breast augmentation, weight loss operations, anti-aging procedures or surgical nasal improvements.

Keogh expressed his worries and claimed that there was a “cacophony of concerns across society” regarding the poor practices and behaviors in the industry. He adds that “there are some parts of the industry that we need to clean up”.

This was painted more explicitly in the review summary that consisted of more than 180 submissions from industry representatives, doctors and patient groups. This also showed the irresponsible and ethical behaviors that was driven more for the need to make profits rather than being concerned about the safety of the patients.

With all these shady business people and less qualified physicians hounding consumers that are looking for a way to save money, it is sad and dangerous that the regulatory framework is not enough to protect them. Keogh also claimed that “the supply and demand for procedures in this fast-growing sector has outgrown the existing legislation around the products used, the people providing treatments, and the information and advice available to the public.”

This supports the need for a two-stage written consent process to avoid letting the patient feel that he/she is rushed into doing the procedure. And instead of deciding on it from consultations, patients should learn the facts from certified doctors or cosmetic surgeons and not salespersons. There should be a ban on unethical marketing techniques and surgical practices used only to increase profit.

This is also to make the patients become more aware of the seriousness cosmetic surgery and not something you should decide out of whim. It is sad that business people bank on the insecurities and vanities of consumers that they disregard ethical standards. Hopefully this review will certainly come up with stricter rules that to guide the practice and improve cosmetic services. 

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