Canarian Weekly
15-04-2016, 11:21
THE General Medical Council, which regulates UK doctors, is updating guidelines for cosmetic procedures to stop rogue practitioners who are simply after their patients’ money.
The new GMC rules, being introduced in June for private clinics and the NHS, underline that patients must not be rushed or cajoled into having surgery.
Promotional tactics like two-for-one offers will be banned, and
doctors who break the rules could be struck off the medical register.
The surgeon or practitioner carrying out the cosmetic procedure, whether a breast implant, face-lift or botox injections, must detail explicitly the risks involved.
And they must ensure their patients know who to contact if they experience any complications, say the guidelines.
The new rules are a positive response to a 2013 review of the industry by Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, which found few safeguards for patients, particularly for those undergoing non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers.
His report to the British Government concluded: “In fact, a person having a non-surgical cosmetic intervention has no more protection and redress than someone buying a ballpoint pen or a toothbrush.”
The GMC says most doctors who carry out cosmetic procedures do so to a high standard, but adds: “We do sometimes come across poor practice, and it is important that patients are protected from this. and that doctors understand what is expected from them”.
The GMC has been working with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which is launching its own set of professional standards for cosmetic surgeons.
The RCS is also calling on the Government to introduce new legislation at next month’s Queen’s Speech, to ensure surgeons are certified to carry out cosmetic operations.
It is hoped that these measures will put an end to botched and unethical procedures.
Leeds’ mother Victoria Ashton had breast implants in 2008 which, she later discovered, might be faulty, with a high risk of rupturing in the body.
She is now part of a campaign group for the 47,000 UK women similarly affected by the PIP implant scandal.
Victoria believes the guidelines should help consumers, but says the public needs to be more aware of the potential risks of surgery.
“Think twice,” she said. “Profit before people is, basically, our experience of the cosmetic surgery industry. They are all lovely to you in the process of having your operations.
“But as soon as your operation is over and done with, and you are out of the period in which they look after you, they don’t really want to know.”
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/rules-flatten-the-cosmetic-surgery-cheats/)
The new GMC rules, being introduced in June for private clinics and the NHS, underline that patients must not be rushed or cajoled into having surgery.
Promotional tactics like two-for-one offers will be banned, and
doctors who break the rules could be struck off the medical register.
The surgeon or practitioner carrying out the cosmetic procedure, whether a breast implant, face-lift or botox injections, must detail explicitly the risks involved.
And they must ensure their patients know who to contact if they experience any complications, say the guidelines.
The new rules are a positive response to a 2013 review of the industry by Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, which found few safeguards for patients, particularly for those undergoing non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers.
His report to the British Government concluded: “In fact, a person having a non-surgical cosmetic intervention has no more protection and redress than someone buying a ballpoint pen or a toothbrush.”
The GMC says most doctors who carry out cosmetic procedures do so to a high standard, but adds: “We do sometimes come across poor practice, and it is important that patients are protected from this. and that doctors understand what is expected from them”.
The GMC has been working with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which is launching its own set of professional standards for cosmetic surgeons.
The RCS is also calling on the Government to introduce new legislation at next month’s Queen’s Speech, to ensure surgeons are certified to carry out cosmetic operations.
It is hoped that these measures will put an end to botched and unethical procedures.
Leeds’ mother Victoria Ashton had breast implants in 2008 which, she later discovered, might be faulty, with a high risk of rupturing in the body.
She is now part of a campaign group for the 47,000 UK women similarly affected by the PIP implant scandal.
Victoria believes the guidelines should help consumers, but says the public needs to be more aware of the potential risks of surgery.
“Think twice,” she said. “Profit before people is, basically, our experience of the cosmetic surgery industry. They are all lovely to you in the process of having your operations.
“But as soon as your operation is over and done with, and you are out of the period in which they look after you, they don’t really want to know.”
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/rules-flatten-the-cosmetic-surgery-cheats/)