The government has launched a review into cosmetic surgery following the breast implant scandal, which could lead to tighter controls over advertising and the way private clinics operate.
Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, is leading the review at the request of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. Professor Keogh is calling for the public to share their own experiences and give their opinions on what should be done to better regulate a controversial private industry that is often accused of exploiting vulnerable people.
"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."
"My fear is that there is a political resistance to introducing any form of statutory regulation," said Walsh whose organisation has since helped patients who have suffered harm as a result of those procedures. "It has become somewhat politically incorrect to introduce regulation. That ideology in our opinion seems to have trumped patient safety in a number of cases."
