GMC Consultation – Guidance for Cosmetic Procedures

Cosmetic Surgery, Botox and Dermal Fillers

The GMC is proposing new guidance for doctors carrying out cosmetic procedures and is now starting the consultation process with patients, the public and doctors in order to make cosmetic procedures safer. 

The GMC’s consultation will run from 8 June 2015 to 1 September 2015 and will be available on the GMC’s website.

The new guidance will set out standards for all UK doctors who carry out surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Key points in the proposals for doctors include:

• Be open and honest with patients and not trivialise the risks involved
• Give patients enough time and information before they decide whether to go ahead and allow a ‘cooling off’ time
• Ask patients to tell them how they have been affected by a cosmetic procedure (physically and psychologically) and check whether they are satisfied with the outcome
• Not target under 18s and seek additional advice from professionals who treat young people
• Seek their patient’s consent themselves (don’t delegate it)
• Market their services responsibly; not make unjustifiable claims about the results they can achieve
• Avoid promotional tactics that encourage ill-considered decisions e.g. competitions to win procedures

Professor Terence Stephenson, GMC chairman, said:

Cosmetic practice is a huge and expanding area of medicine and patients, some of whom are vulnerable, do need to be better protected.

We are producing this guidance because of the particular risks around this area of medicine.

We are clear that doctors must not pressure patients to make rushed decisions they may end up regretting and they must give them enough information so they can make an informed choice.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, said:

Those having cosmetic interventions – either surgical, such as face-lifts, tummy tucks or breast implants or non-surgical, such as dermal fillers and Botox – take their safety as a given and assume guidance is already in place to protect them.

This consultation is a step in the right direction to tighten standards and protect people from potential risks.

GMC Accredited Doctors

Cosmedics Skin Clinics based in London offer a range of cosmetic skin treatments including Botox and injectable facial fillers.

They also specialise in skin surgery and laser procedures to remove skin lesions such as moles, skin tags, warts and cysts.

All doctors are fully registered with the GMC.

Cosmedics Skin Clinics

Cosmedics Skin Clinics has grown quickly from its beginning in 2003 to become a leading UK provider of mole removal surgery and treatments using pain-free and minimal scarring techniques, removing literally thousands of unwanted moles for its clients in London and Bristol.

Call 020 7386 0464 or email info@cosmedics.co.uk for an appointment.