Concerns have been expressed about the regulation of doctors carrying out cosmetic surgery and the unclear nature of some of the organisations accrediting them (Regulating cosmetic surgery in UK is a nightmare, says top surgeon, 30 September).
The Royal College of Surgeons of England has long campaigned for better regulation of cosmetic surgery. Many people do not realise that the law allows any doctor – surgeon or otherwise – to perform cosmetic surgery in the private sector. There are many excellent surgeons working in the cosmetic surgery industry, but it is difficult for patients to identify these highly trained surgeons from those who should not be practising.
Since 2017, the Intercollegiate Cosmetic Surgery Oversight Committee (ICSOC) – along with representatives of the four surgical royal colleges in the UK and Ireland, and seven surgical specialty associations – has run a voluntary certification scheme for cosmetic surgeons who meet certain standards of knowledge, training and professional behaviour. A key requirement for certification is being on the General Medical Council’s specialist register. There is a resource on the RCS England website where patients considering cosmetic surgery can check if their surgeon has been certified.
RCS England, together with ICSOC, is calling on the GMC to make the certification scheme a formal regulated credential to ensure that patients are safe in an industry that has been largely unregulated to date.
Prof Vivien Lees
Vice-president, Royal College of Surgeons of England
