War on cosmetic surgery cowboys: Tough rules to stop rogue clinics aggressively exploiting women

• A review of the cosmetic surgery industry has been commissioned following fears over the safety of PIP breast implants
• Government may ban of aggressive advertising of 'two for one' surgery deals that encourage women to go under the knife for cosmetic reasons
• Call for more rigorous and legally-required training as Botox can currently be injected by anyone who has done a half-day-long course

Cowboy cosmetic surgery clinics are to be banned from treating patients unless their staff have proper qualifications.
The Department of Health will today announce a review of the industry to protect women from botched breast enlargements and Botox injections administered by staff who have had just a few hours of training.
The NHS Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, aims to tighten the rules on advertising and toughen up regulations.

Concerns: The review was ordered into the cosmetic surgery industry after the recent issue with silicone gel breast implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) (pictured)

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley commissioned the review following fears over the safety of PIP breast implants. Senior sources say the Government is set to ban aggressive advertising of ‘two for one’ deals on cosmetic surgery – for instance a breast enlargement with a free tummy tuck – and clinics that encourage women to go under the knife purely for vanity reasons.
The review is expected to recommend the creation of a compulsory register of implants so women’s health can be more readily monitored. Cosmetic surgeons will be forced to give patients more information about their treatments, for example warning women that breast implants are likely to need replacing every ten years.

 

Women who have booked surgery are likely to be offered a cooling off period to allow them to rethink whether they need the treatments. And those carrying out the procedures will have to provide far better aftercare.
The crackdown aims to drive cowboy surgeons out of the industry and make it more difficult for inexperienced beauty parlour workers to give Botox jabs, dermal fillers or conduct laser hair removal.
Botox can currently be injected by anyone who has done a half-day-long course in which they watch a demonstration and take a friend along to practise on – although the drug does need to be prescribed by a doctor.

Inexperienced: Botox can be injected by anyone who has undertaken a half-day-long course (posed by models)

‘There is a case for tightening up so that practitioners have to acquire more rigorous qualifications,’ a source said.
Some 45 per cent of women and one in four men say they have considered cosmetic surgery. But a poll conducted for the Government has found that many consider the cost of surgery more important than the qualifications of the people doing it.
Some 67 per cent of those questioned consider cost as a factor when deciding whether or not to have cosmetic surgery. Only 54 per cent take the qualifications of their practitioner into consideration.
Sir Bruce will today announce the creation of an expert panel to consider how regulations can be tightened and patient care improved. The panel includes TV doctor Rosemary Leonard, Catherine Kydd, a campaigner on PIP implants, plastic surgeon Simon Withey and Trish Halpin, editor of Marie Claire magazine.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley ordered the review following fears over unsafe breast implants

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.
‘I am concerned that too many people do not realise how serious cosmetic surgery is and do not consider the life-long implications – and potential complications – it can have.
'We want to hear views from everyone, particularly people who have experience of the cosmetic surgery industry or of other cosmetic interventions – good and bad – so we can learn what works best.’
Concern grew late last year over PIP implants, which were made by French company Poly Implant Prothese.
They were linked to the death of a French woman from a rare form of cancer, sparking worries among 47,000 British women who were thought to have had them.
Last night Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, welcomed the review into the industry as an opportunity to ‘end unethical practices.'

‘We would like the review to take this opportunity to draw a clear line between cosmetic treatments that are seen as a commodity and cosmetic surgery that is a serious medical treatment which must be provided by fully-trained and qualified surgeons.’
Professor Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, added: ‘In an increasingly quick-fix and image-conscious society, it is quite easy to forget that cosmetic surgery has life-long implications. Patients must be assured that the practitioners have the right qualifications and experience.’

VICTIMS OF THE BEAUTY BANDITS

When breast implants go wrong:

Layla Hinchen was devastated after discovering her breast implants had started to leak and would have to be removed.
The 27-year-old, who had PIP implants fitted privately in 2005, first realised something was wrong when she began to feel pains in her left breast  two years later.
Although she was told nothing was wrong, a scan showed the implant had ruptured. A second scan showed silicone had leaked into her lymph nodes.
When her private clinic  refused to remove the implants, the NHS paid for the bulk of the operation, with Miss Hinchen contr-ibuting £750 towards new implants.
The beautician and hairdresser from Essex said: ‘I researched for a year before I had mine done because I wanted the best people. Yet I still ended up with these problems.
‘It shows unless the industry is regulated you’re  still going to get these cowboys offering cheap, dangerous  implants.’

Still suffering five years on:

Kim Watson had a facelift which went wrong in January 2007.
The mother of six from  Largs, North Ayrshire, said: ‘When I booked in for a facelift with a well-known surgery company five years ago, I simply wanted to refresh my looks.
‘But the surgeon doing my facelift botched the operation, damaging the nerve endings in my face and leaving half of it permanently paralysed.
‘Now people stop me in the street and ask if I’ve had a stroke or if I’ve got Bell’s Palsy.’
Mrs Watson, 55, is now in favour of tougher regulations for the industry. ‘I think all surgeons should be thoroughly vetted and have a long period of practice time where they are supervised by top cosmetic surgeons before they are let loose on the public,’ she said.
‘I firmly believe cosmetic surgeons shouldn’t have free rein to play God because people like me have to deal with the consequences. Five years on, I’m still suffering from the effects of my botched facelift. Because of the nerve damage, my forehead often throbs in pain and tingles when it’s cold.’

Cosmetic surgery to feel better:

Beryl Atkins decided to have breast implants and liposuction to make herself ‘feel better’ when her mother died 11 years ago.
After seeing an advert for a leading clinic, the  38-year-old booked an appointment that week.
Mrs Atkins, a former nurse who lives with her  husband Carl, 40, and their son George, 11, in Coventry, claims she felt pushed into booking procedures during the first consultation.
Just two weeks later, she was having implants, a breast uplift and liposculpture around her thighs, hips and stomach. Within days, the scars under her  breasts had gone lumpy and some of her skin had  turned a grey colour.
She was so depressed  she was prescribed anti-depressants by her GP.
Mrs Atkins said: ‘I had days where I cried, feeling guilty. If the Government changes the law, I’d back it 100 per cent. No firm should take payment on the day and there should be a 14-day cooling off period.’