Key facts
- Leading medical organizations are urging the UK government to strengthen regulations for cosmetic surgery.
- They argue that only specialist surgeons should perform high-risk cosmetic procedures.
- Currently, any registered doctor can legally perform cosmetic surgery, regardless of specialist training.
- Complications from unregulated procedures can result in serious injury, death, and increased pressure on NHS services.
- In the US, a cosmetic surgery chain faced numerous lawsuits alleging patient harm and substandard care.
Leading surgical and medical organizations in the UK are warning that patients continue to be exposed to harm due to insufficient regulation of cosmetic surgery. In an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper MP, a coalition led by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) urged the government to publish a promised consultation and implement stronger protections.
The group argues that while a 'red list' of high-risk cosmetic procedures is a welcome step, it will not adequately protect patients unless these procedures are restricted to appropriately trained specialist surgeons. Currently, any doctor registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) can legally perform procedures like breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, facelifts, and liposuction, even without specialist surgical qualifications or being listed on the GMC Specialist Register. This can lead patients to believe their surgeon possesses expertise they may not have.
Professor Vivien Lees of RCS England emphasized that patients expect surgeons performing invasive procedures to have undergone specialist training, a guarantee the current law does not provide. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh KBE, whose 2013 review first highlighted the need for reform, stated that complex cosmetic surgery performed by underqualified practitioners remains an avoidable risk.
Failures in regulation can lead to devastating consequences, including serious injury, long-term physical and psychological harm, and even death. Complications also place additional pressure on NHS services, requiring emergency treatment and ongoing support. The signatories are pressing ministers to publish the consultation and enact meaningful legislative reform to ensure high-risk cosmetic surgery is exclusively performed by specialist surgeons.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a cosmetic surgery chain, Goals Plastic Surgery in Atlanta, has faced numerous medical malpractice lawsuits. Court records allege that several surgeons, including California-based Andrew S. Hsu, caused disfiguring injuries to patients. Some of these surgeons allegedly lacked adequate training or had prior malpractice claims and disciplinary actions. The chain itself reportedly acknowledged in separate legal disputes that some of its surgeons were prone to problems due to inadequate training or troubled pasts.