Two-thirds
of clinicians including surgeons, doctors and nurses believe that the lines
between non-surgical (such as lasers and injectables) and surgical procedures
(such as breast lifts and tummy tucks) have become dangerously blurred; and a
whopping nine out of ten (89%) say the public has very little
understanding of practitioner qualifications. The findings are unveiled today
by the Clinical Cosmetic & Reconstructive Expo (www.ccr-expo.com), a first-of-its-kind
event taking place this October at London Olympia bringing together under one roof
the foremost experts in aesthetic and reconstructive treatment: ‘from Botox® to
bionic limbs’.
The
survey also reveals that nearly three quarters (74%) of medical
professionals worry that ‘plastic’ and ‘cosmetic’ surgery have become
interchangeable terms in the public’s mind; and whilst nearly two
thirds (63%) agree that the advertising of surgical procedures needs to be
curtailed, 57% say the practice should be banned outright.
Well
over two thirds (68%) support the reclassification of dermal fillers -
popular injectable treatments that are currently unregulated - as medicines.
Three in five (59%) practitioners have come across beauty therapists performing
these procedures, one in five (20%) have seen hairdressers doing so, and
one in ten have witnessed members of the public offering them. A
staggering majority (85%) believe that current systems for regulation,
such as the Government-backed voluntary register TreatmentsYouCanTrust, do not protect patients from unscrupulous
practices.
According
to consultant plastic surgeon and Chairman of the Expo’s Medical Advisory Board
Norman Waterhouse, who is also former President of the British Association of
Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS):
“Whilst it is reassuring to note that so many of us in
the sector are ‘on the same page’ regarding the lack of regulation and the need
for tighter controls, the results of this survey nonetheless present an
alarming picture. What I do find encouraging is that the vast majority of us agree
there needs to be more dialogue in this field. In the aftermath of the PIP
implant scandal and Sir Bruce Keogh’s review into cosmetic surgery, never has
there been a more timely opportunity to bring the surgical and non-surgical
communities together.”
Survey
highlights:
· Nearly three-quarters (74%) believe the term ‘plastic surgery’ has become interchangeable
with ‘cosmetic surgery’ in the mind of the public
· Two-thirds (66%)
believe there has been a blurring of lines between non-surgical treatments
(such as lasers or injectables) and surgical procedures (such as mastopexy or
abdominoplasty) in the public and media's view and, of those, almost
three-quarters (73%) believe this
endangers patients
· Nine out of
ten (89%) say the public isn’t
educated enough about what the terms plastic surgeon/cosmetic doctor/nurse
prescriber/aesthetician imply
· Well over
two-thirds believe that dermal
fillers - currently requiring only a CE mark - should be reclassified as
medicines
· When asked who they had witnessed offering injectable
treatments:
o
Doctors 9/10 (90%)
o
Surgeons 8/10
(83%)
o
Nurses 5/10 (48%)
o
Dentists 5/10
(53%)
o
Beauty therapists
6/10 (59%)
o
Hairdressers 1/5
(20%)
o
Members of the
public 1/10 (10%)
o
Others 6%
· Nearly nine out of ten (85%) stated that current systems such as voluntary register
TreatmentsYouCanTrust do not do enough to protect the public
· Almost three in five (57%) believe that surgical procedures should not be advertised to
the public (only slightly over a third - 36% - said no)
· A slightly higher proportion (63%) said that cosmetic surgery advertising should at least be
restricted (for example prohibiting or limiting it in public places where
children might see them)
· Nearly two-thirds (65%) agree that procedures
historically considered ‘cosmetic’ such as facelifts, brow lifts and Botox
should be available on the NHS, particularly for conditions such as facial
paralysis.
· A whopping 85% state
there is a need for tighter regulations in the aesthetic sector
· Nearly three out of five (57%) say the Government were wrong to deregulate lasers
· The vast majority (84%) believe that surgical (whether cosmetic or reconstructive) and
non-surgical specialists would benefit from each other’s expertise and should
enjoy more open dialogue
According to Peter Jones, Chief Executive Officer for CCR Expo:
“I’m delighted that, through their
responses, clinicians themselves are reinforcing the logic behind launching an
event of this type and scale. This will be the first time that experts
from both the surgical and non-surgical fields will have the opportunity to
come together to debate and share best practice, and help define the future of their
own field, which is in undeniable turbulence. The event includes an extensive
programme, which packs 14 days’ worth of workshops, conferences and live
demonstration theatres into just two days.”
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