"NHS Is Underwriting Cut Price Cosmetic Surgery From Overseas", Says Plastic Surgeons' Association, UK

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Also Included In: Dermatology
Article Date: 04 Dec 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) called for the Government to issue clearer guidance to the NHS on treating patients who come to the NHS with problems following cosmetic surgery overseas.

BAPRAS says that the NHS is currently providing a safety net for patients going overseas for cheap deals on cosmetic surgery, which takes resources away from patients waiting for reconstructive surgery following cancer or trauma. BAPRAS says that this trend is likely to rise in line with the increase of cosmetic tourism and this may have an impact on waiting times for other plastic surgery procedures.

Research published today in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery[1] found almost a quarter of BAPRAS' membership (23%) treated NHS patients with complications related to cosmetic surgery performed outside of the UK.

In 2007, plastic surgeons saw at least 208 patients across the UK for complications after cosmetic surgery abroad. Approximately three quarters of those patients had complications that required treatment. Of these, 26% of patients had to have emergency surgery, 31% opted to have elective surgery to rectify the problem, 33% had non-surgical treatment as an out-patient and 8% of patients had non-surgical treatment as an in-patient.

Operations that presented complications most frequently were breast augmentation, with sixty-one patients (29%) coming to the NHS following this procedure, 50 patients (24%) following abdominoplasty, 33 patients (15%) following breast reductions and 22 patients (10%) following a face or neck lift.

The research highlights there is no clear NHS policy on treatment of these patients for acute complications of their surgery or for elective revisions of their procedures. It points out that the responsibility for aftercare for cosmetic surgery carried out privately in the UK lies with the plastic surgeon conducting the procedure but this is often not the case within surgery abroad. This means patients returning from cosmetic surgery abroad often look to the NHS to provide aftercare, which inevitably takes resources away from other patients.

Anthony Armstrong, a consultant plastic surgeon and chair of BAPRAS' clinical effectiveness committee, said: "People go abroad thinking they are getting a better deal but when things go wrong the NHS is expected to pick up the pieces. The NHS is currently underwriting cut price cosmetic surgery overseas because there is no clear policy in place on when the NHS should and shouldn't treat patients who have elected to have cosmetic surgery abroad."

About cosmetic surgery

Cosmetic surgery means operations that revise or change appearance, colour, texture, structural position of body features to achieve what patients perceive to be more desirable.

About BAPRAS

The British Association of Plastic Surgeons was founded in 1946 and is the professional representative body for plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the United Kingdom. It changed its name to British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) in July 2006 to reflect better the breadth of the work that its members do.

BAPRAS has 770 members in total. Anyone can check the GMC to find out if a surgeon is on the plastic surgery specialist register; http://www.gmc-uk.org/register/search/index.asp

About JPRAS

The Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (JPRAS) covers all the reconstructive and aesthetic aspects of plastic surgery. The journal presents the latest surgical procedures with audit and outcome studies of new and established techniques in plastic surgery including: cleft lip and palate and other heads and neck surgery, hand surgery, lower limb trauma, burns, skin cancer, breast surgery and aesthetic surgery. The journal has up-to-date papers, comprehensive review articles, letters to the editor and book reviews on all aspects of plastic surgery and related basic sciences.

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Reference

[1] Jeevan, R; Armstrong, A; Cosmetic tourism and the burden on the NHS, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons; 2008: Vol 61, Issue 12, p14:23 - 14:24

Elsevier