Key facts
- Leading surgical and medical organizations have warned that patients continue to face unnecessary risk in cosmetic surgery due to lax laws in England.
- They are calling on the UK government to publish a consultation and strengthen protections, arguing that high-risk cosmetic procedures should only be performed by specialist surgeons.
- Currently, any doctor registered with the General Medical Council can legally perform cosmetic surgery, regardless of specialist surgical training.
- Complications from unregulated cosmetic procedures can lead to serious injury, long-term physical and psychological harm, and death.
- In the US, a cosmetic surgery chain faced numerous lawsuits alleging substandard care and inadequate training among its surgeons.
Leading surgical and medical organizations in the UK have issued a stark warning that patients undergoing cosmetic surgery remain at significant risk due to insufficient regulation. In an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, a coalition including the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) urged the government to expedite promised legislation and strengthen patient protections.
The core concern is that current laws permit any doctor registered with the General Medical Council to perform invasive cosmetic procedures, such as breast augmentation and facelifts, even if they lack specialist surgical qualifications or are not on the GMC Specialist Register. This creates a misleading impression for patients who assume their practitioner has undergone rigorous surgical training.
Professor Vivien Lees of RCS England emphasized that the law does not guarantee specialist training for these complex procedures, leading to a consensus that urgent regulation is needed. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, whose 2013 review first highlighted these issues, reiterated that under-qualified practitioners pose an avoidable risk.
The signatories highlighted that complications from unregulated cosmetic surgery can result in severe injuries, lasting physical and psychological harm, and even death. Furthermore, these complications often necessitate emergency NHS treatment, straining already stretched healthcare services.
Separately, in the United States, a cosmetic surgery chain, Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, has been implicated in numerous medical malpractice lawsuits. Allegations include substandard patient care and surgeons lacking adequate training or possessing prior malpractice histories. Some surgeons reportedly joined the chain on temporary licenses granted during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the center specializing in elective procedures.