Cosmetic Surgery and Plastic Surgery
In the UK more than 100,000 cosmetic surgery operations and procedures are carried out each year. And it is increasing. Recent surveys report that clinics have seen a rise in both men and women undergoing cosmetic surgery.
The most popular operations requested are breast augmentation or breast enlargement, breast reduction, face lift and neck lift. Also popular are liposuction, abdominoplasty or tummy tuck, breast lift, eyelid lift, brow lift, surgery for prominent ears, rhinoplasty / nose reshaping or 'nose job' and injectable treatments such as Botox and collagen most commonly used to reduce the appearance of fine lines and ageing, and for lip enhancement.
If you think you may have a case for compensation contact us and seek specialist advice from one of our clinical negligence lawyers. You can either fill out our online enquiry form, request a call back or call us direct on 0800 915 4650.
What is cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery?
- Cosmetic surgery / aesthetic surgery is surgery to improve appearance. It can be used to enhance many individual parts of the body, procedures that are normally considered cosmetic include: breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction in men (gynecomastia), chemical peel, collagen/fat injections, dermabrasion, ear surgery (otoplasty), eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), facelift (rhytidectomy), facial implants, forehead lift, hair replacement surgery, laser facial resurfacing, liposuction, nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty).
- Plastic surgery / reconstructive surgery is surgery to change the shape or form of the surface and sometimes the deeper structures of the human body. Plastic surgery includes reconstructive surgery such as cosmetic surgery, repair operations after burns and other injuries, correction of inherited deformities, congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumours, or disease. It also includes breast reconstruction after operations for breast cancer, removal of skin tumours.
What happens when cosmetic surgery goes wrong?
As with any surgery there can be complications including infection, scarring, problems with anaesthetics and in some cases the surgery itself giving an undesirable outcome. The clinical negligence team at Bond Pearce have witnessed a growth in claims relating to cosmetic surgery mainly because it is more widely available and cheaper than ever. One concerning trend is the number of people going abroad for cosmetic surgery and returning unhappy with their results.
The Government has voiced growing concern about the risks of surgery to around 100,000 patients a year, mostly women undergoing facelifts and breast enlargements. There are concerns that patients could be at risk because the industry is not regulated tightly enough. When operations go wrong, the complications can be life-threatening as in one high-profile case which involved mother-of-four Denise Hendry, 36, the wife of former Scotland football captain Colin Hendry. She almost died after her bowel was perforated during a bungled 'tummy-tuck' last year. Mrs Hendry is one of more than a dozen patients suing plastic surgeon Gustaf Aniansson, who has just escaped possible censure by the General Medical Council by voluntarily removing his name from the medical register.
Under present rules, any qualified surgeon can legally set up as a cosmetic expert but if they claim to have specialist plastic surgery qualifications, they must be registered as a specialist with the GMC. In fact a Health Which? survey involving 21 clinics found patients were recommended surgery when they did not need it, and the risks of surgery were played down or ignored. Many surgeons failed to take full medical histories, exposing certain patients to extra risks.
The MDU reported in 2005 that patients have claimed in excess of £7million in compensation for botched attempts at cosmetic surgery over the past decade. Dissatisfaction with breast implants, face-lifts and nose jobs accounted for most of the claims. The majority of those who sued were unhappy with the way they looked after the surgery - but some also suffered serious complications. The cases included those who suffered nerve damage following liposuction on her face, breast implant cases related to breast cancer survivors who had undergone mastectomies, a tummy tuck which became infected and killed off healthy skin and tissue and a woman needed a temporary colostomy after developing an abscess which caused bowel damage following abdominal liposuction. Other patients complained that their augmented breasts were lopsided, while others said they were left with unsightly scars. In one case, a swab was accidentally left inside the breast after surgery.
