Campaigners welcome changes to plastic surgery regulation

Cosmetic surgery patients in the North East say there's still lots to be done - as new changes to the way the plastic surgery industry is regulated are unveiled.

A new register, which will give patients the ability to check whether or not their surgeon has had training and the correct insurance coverage, will be launched later this month.

It comes two years after we launched our Scratching the Surface campaign, calling for a safer cosmetic industry.

Dawn Knight, a mam from Stanley, was left without any of her promised lifetime aftercare when an eyelift went wrong.

Dawn bravely shared her story as part of our investigation into the underworld of the cosmetic industry and claimed she won’t give up until it’s properly regulated.

For Dawn, every two hours it’s a constant reminder of the true scale of the problem. Her alarm goes off reminding her to treat her eyes so she doesn't lose her sight.

She was the victim of a so called fly in fly out surgeon three years ago. This is a foreign surgeon who comes to the UK, carries out a list of operations then flies out again.

In 2012 Dawn went under the knife to have excess skin taken away from her eyelids. The surgeon recommended a lift on both the upper eyelid and the lower eyelid, but took too much skin off.

Since revealing what happened to her for Metro Radio’s campaign, she’s been made aware of over 70 victims who’ve had a similar experience.

Dawn said:

“Stopping now for me is not an option. The information that I’ve uncovered is horrendous. It was never meant to be like this.

“All I want to do is make sure that people are better informed, better educated, that there is more up to date accurate information, that the cosmetic industry is better regulated, as it should be, as people assume it is."

You can sign Dawn's petition here.