Royal College of Surgeons offers ‘patient guide’ for those seeking cosmetic surgery

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has launched a patient-facing ‘information hub’ for those of us seeking cosmetic surgery.

It’s a bit to protect us from ‘aggressive marketing’ and ‘ruthless’ sales tactics, they say.

With more than 51,000 cosmetic surgery procedures taking place in England, like comparethetreatment.com, the RCS realises safety is a key factor for those of us embarking on having any cosmetic procedures.

The RCS advice pages highlight any possible risks involved with aesthetic treatments and what to expert post surgery. There’s even a downloadable ticklist.

As our experts advise here at comaprethetreatment.com, always ask questions and give yourself time to reflect after the initial consultation.

The aggressive marketing and pushy sales tactics of some surgeons has promoted the move but London lip queen and comparethetreatment.com expert Rita Rakus still believes there is much to be done to clamp down on the number of unqualified practitioners offering certain cosmetic procedures.

She says: ‘We still need tighter legislation here in the UK. I think legislation should be tightened to stop unqualified practitioners from being able to carry out cosmetic procedures.

‘My patient’s health is always my number one priority when they come into my clinic. Sadly, however, not all doctors prioritise the patient in this way and if at any point you feel your health is not a concern, walk away and find somebody else.’

In the coming months, the RCS will also publish a register of ‘certified surgeons’ in different cosmetic surgical procedures. This will allow patients to look for a surgeon by procedure, who has provided evidence to the RCS that they have the appropriate training, experience and insurance to practise in the UK.

One case study the RCS uses is that of a 33-year-old mother of two underwent an operation after breastfeeding her children to try to make her breasts symmetrical and uplifted.

She says she had to have numerous emergency operations to remove parts of her breast after developing necrosis and is due to undergo complex reconstructive surgeries over the course of a two-year period.

She explains: ‘I made the mistake of allowing the clinic to allocate me a surgeon without doing any background research on the surgeon and they also offered me £500 off if I signed up within 48 hours. If a deal sounds too good, it may not be the best place to go.’