Concerns have been raised about the regulation of doctors who carry out cosmetic surgery and the unclear nature of some of the organisations that accredit 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 carry out cosmetic surgery in the private sector. There are many excellent surgeons working in the cosmetic surgery industry, but it is difficult for patients to distinguish these highly trained surgeons from those who should not be practising.
Since 2017, the Intercollegiate Cosmetic Surgery Oversight Committee (ICSOC) – along with representatives from the four surgical royal colleges in the UK and Ireland and seven surgical specialty associations – has been running a voluntary certification scheme for cosmetic surgeons who meet certain standards of knowledge, training and professional conduct. A key requirement for certification is to be on the General Medical Council’s specialist register. There is a resource on the RCS England website where patients considering cosmetic surgery can check whether their surgeon is certified.
RCS England, along with ICSOC, is calling on the GMC to make the certification scheme a formal, regulated credential to ensure patients are safe in an industry that has been largely unregulated.
