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 The choice of your surgeon for a cosmetic surgery procedure really is one of the most important decisions that you will make. Not only will you be investing a considerable amount of time and money, but you will also be putting your trust and safety in your surgeon's hands. You will live with the result for life.
By Nigel Mercer
Consultant Plastic Surgeon and President of BAAPS and EASAPS
The terms cosmetic surgery and aesthetic surgery are inter-changeable. Unfortunately for the public, the UK Government does not designate cosmetic surgery as a specialty in its own right nor does it regulate the industry. The only specialty in which surgeons receive training in all aspects of cosmetic surgery is Plastic Surgery, but surgeons from other specialties may be trained in specific cosmetic surgery procedures and may perform those procedures to a very high standard. Surgeons who perform cosmetic surgery procedures should perform sufficient numbers to retain their competence, submit audit figures for their cosmetic surgical work, and must attend educational courses to maintain their 'Continuing Professional Development' (CPD). However, this does not mean that a surgeon who advertises that they only do cosmetic surgery is necessarily an expert, and do not take pre- and post-operative photos as a reliable indicator of competence. Even the worst surgeon will get some good results. No matter whom you see, you must ask the correct questions, take advice and do your research.
1. Ask your GP. They are there to protect you, and they should know who has a good reputation in your area.
2. Use word of mouth. Ask friends. 3. Choose a surgeon, not a clinic or a hospital. If you go to one of the 'clinics' you may not see the same surgeon that your friend saw and some may employ surgeons, who come on short-term contracts and then leave. A free consultation is not really free. A surgeon should charge you for their advice and you should not be sold a product or procedure. Beware sales talk on the phone. 4. Check the BAAPS (The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) website. It lists BAAPS members by region and there are excellent surgeons through out the country. You do not have to go to London to find excellence. 5. Check the GMC (General Medical Council) website to check what specialty your surgeon is registered to work in. If they are not a specialist plastic surgeon ask yourself what problem are you seeing them for and are they trained to perform it. 6. Ask how many procedures the surgeon has done and what their complication rates are. Ask what your surgeon's special interests are, and their complication rates. They are obliged to tell you. Ask what they will do if there is a problem with your operation. Think what this implies if you have surgery abroad. 7. Do not make a decision on the day of the consultation. No matter how long you have been thinking about the problem, go back for a second consultation, for which there should be no charge. Avoid anyone that tells you that “you must have” a cosmetic operation or procedure. No surgical procedure or cosmetic treatment carries a guarantee, so ask yourself, “If I have a complication or I do not get the result I wanted, have I made the right decision?” IF the answer is “No” or you have any doubts, do not have the treatment. By Nigel Mercer
Consultant Plastic Surgeon and President of BAAPS and EASAPS
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