Scratching The Surface in parliament
Metro Radio's campaign to get better regulation on cosmetic treatments is being heard in parliament.
Stanley mam Dawn Knight and her MP Kevan Jones are meeting with Health Minister Ben Gummer today.
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.
Now she’s taken a dossier of evidence from us, as well as an account from each victim, to Ben Gummer with hopes that government will finally do something to control the industry before it’s too late.
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.”
“On the back of the Scratching The Surface campaign I’ve had a lot more patients come forward, not with great outcomes unfortunately. One girl said she was driving and had to stop her car when she heard the interview go out… Suddenly she realised she was not on her own and there was help out there.”
Listen to Dawn’s full interview here: