Serious procedures like facelifts should not be classed with 'minor beauty procedures' Monday, 16 May 2011
'Lipo with your facial?'
Serious procedures like facelifts should not be classed with 'minor beauty procedures' The number of people having both cosmetic surgery and beauty treatment such as botox are increasing.
But in this week's Scrubbing Up, consultant plastic surgeon Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), warns lines between the two are being blurred, and more effective regulation is needed.
You wouldn't trust your boiler to an unqualified engineer - so why do people continue to trust their face and body to untrained practitioners?
There is a difference between plastic surgery - facelifts, breast enhancement, tummy tucks, liposuction, etc - and cosmetic salon treatments such as lasers, peels and injectable fillers.
But the two are being confused in a way that trivialises surgery and puts patients in real danger.
Alarmingly, there are many practitioners offering procedures that require specialised surgical training and expertise which they do not have - and there is no regulation whatsoever to protect the public.
The beauty industry, like any other, has a legitimate right to maximize profit through honest marketing while providing a service to the customers.
Mr Fazel Fatah“It is highly unethical to cross sell serious medical procedures to an unwitting customer”
However, bundling cosmetic surgery under the same terminology turns medical treatment into a commodity.
There is a clear risk to the public here and one I come across regularly when dissatisfied people come for advice, after having undergone a procedure they regret: cross selling.
While you may think there is nothing unethical about encouraging customers to buy two items from a shop when they intend to buy one only, it is highly unethical to cross sell serious medical procedures to an unwitting customer when she or he goes simply to have a non-invasive beauty treatment or injections to reduce wrinkles.
Unlike those, surgery carries risks and serious complications can happen however rare they may be.
The less-invasive procedures, such as fillers and wrinkle-reducing injections, along with beauty treatments such as lasers and peels are offered by a range of professionals, including beauty therapists, dermatologists, GPs and dentists - some better trained than others.
And unfortunately, anybody can buy injectables on the internet and have a theme party in someone's front room.
While cosmetic treatment may be for vanity, the reasons for having aesthetic plastic surgery are more complex.
Done for the right reason, the reward is a significant enhancement of the wellbeing and quality of life for the patient.
The real risk to patients from bundling cosmetic surgery with beauty industry emanates from the lack of enforceable regulations from the government.
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