More action needed to tame cosmetic industry
There's calls for more training in the cosmetic surgery industry, after our Scratching the Surface campaign highlighted how devestating it can be when things go wrong.
A Sunderland surgeon says we need more training in the cosmetic industry, after admitting his own mistakes.
Dr Dutta was suspended four years ago after complications in a procedure. He said:
“Genuine mistakes do happen, how you maintain support and look after the patient is important.”
“I tried to help the patient, I paid for the surgeon to do the operation, and corrective proceedings were done appropriately. There was no doubt that the patient was harmed, I did my level best and I fell short.”
“I needed to make sure that my training and everything is up to date which I have done and addressed appropriately.”
“I lost a little bit of confidence in the profession… so I then went on to get involved in the General Medical Council’s consultations and I still look at regulation but I also look at supporting doctors who are in difficulty.”
It’s as our campaign, Scratching The Surface, continues to campaign for a safer cosmetic industry.
Health Minister, Ben Gummer, told us he is taking action, he’s written to the Royal College of Surgeons asking them to create a new certification system for surgeons, to improve transparency and care so that patients know exactly what they’re signing up for.
A Department of Health spokesperson said:
"People who get cosmetic surgery should expect high quality, safe care. Any doctor performing cosmetic surgery must be registered with the GMC and demonstrate that they meet the high professional standards set by them in order to be licenced in the UK. “In response to the Keogh Review, we have also asked the Royal College of Surgeons to develop a new certification system for surgeons as well as patient information so patients can clearly see which surgeons are certified to perform cosmetic surgery and make informed decisions about their care. "Ben Gummer has recently met Dawn Knight and is looking carefully at her concerns."
Dawn Knight, a mam from Stanley, has welcomed the move. She says she was ‘mutilated’ when an eyelift went wrong in 2012.
Dawn discovered that the lifetime aftercare that she’d signed up for did not exist, now spends 12 hours a day taking special eye drops to stop her going blind.
She said:
“It’s a constant reminder, the alarm going off on my phone every two hours… But this is what I’m trying to do to save my eyesight. I actually had an eye test yesterday and I got the devastating news that there is more damage to the surface of my eyes now.”
“At the moment I just live my daily routine of eye drops every two hours, eye gel every night and taping my left eye closed every night when I sleep. It’s exhausting.”
Follow our campaign using the hashtag #scratchingthesurface