The Keogh report finally puts into place plans to regulate our industry – something we, as cosmetic plastic surgeons, have been requesting for some time.  The key regulations they call for are something no bone fide cosmetic surgeon would argue against:

• making all dermal fillers prescription only
• ensuring all practitioners are properly qualified for all the procedures they offer. This needs to include all people from cosmetic surgeons offering breast enlargement through to people offering injectables such as dermal fillers or Botox®

• an ombudsman to oversee all private health care including cosmetic procedures to assist those who have been treated poorly
• surgical providers should provide a record of implants and operations to both the person undergoing a procedure and their GP
• a registry should be established for breast implants and other devices. This should alert the authorities to any signs of concerns at an early stage, and will provide critical intelligence in the event of product failure or recall
• obtaining consent should not be dismissed as a casual irrelevance, so that providers are obliged to ensure that people are aware of the implications and risks of procedure and that they have adequate time to consider this information before proceeding with surgery
• an advertising code of conduct should be developed and compliance should be mandatory for all practitioners
• insurance products should be developed to protect patients in the event of product failure, or provider insolvency