Morning:
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I have just finished a new series for Channel 4 about cosmetic surgery, or rather cosmetic surgery gone wrong. It has been eye-opening.
First, because of the naive way that patients go about choosing their clinics and surgeons, and secondly because the code of ethics adhered to by other medical and surgical practitioners seems to be completely ignored by many cosmetic surgeons.
And when things go wrong, they really go wrong. A tragic example is the death of Denise Hendry, wife of footballer Colin, after a disastrous liposuction procedure. The surgeon in question no longer practises.
Britons spend more than £200 million a year on cosmetic surgery but the industry pays out more than £1 million a year in compensation.
The commonest reason for a claim is that patients are dissatisfied with the results of the procedure; not because of poor technique but because the surgeon was bad at managing their expectations.
Women who look more Crimewatch than Baywatch are being promised miracles: "Of course you can look like Cheryl Cole, just sign here and hand over your credit card."
The real embarrassment is that in 2005 the chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, and an expert group on the regulation of cosmetic surgery proposed new controls and put forward 17 recommendations to the Government.
They stressed the need for a code of practice specifying the information to be provided to patients before they consent to surgery, as well as guidelines on the way firms and doctors specialising in this treatment may advertise.
So what has been done by the Government to put these recommendations in place? Nothing.
Amazingly, the Department of Health is now holding a consultation on deregulating some types of non-surgical treatment, such as laser therapies, by removing the need for clinics to register - a move that even the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons calls "absurd".
The underlying factor is money. Patients try to save as much as they can and, in doing so, compromise their safety by choosing poorly-run clinics, inexperienced surgeons and non-existent after-care.
Clinics and surgeons are being driven to maximise profits, enticing patients with two-for-one deals, hard-sell techniques and high turnover.
And the Government is doing nothing because changing legislation takes money and Parliamentary time and it is not - yet - enough of a priority. We need more high-profile people to die before anything happens.
I am sad to say that the age of blind trust in your doctor is over: patients must take some responsibility and do their homework before committing. And surgeons must learn to say no - even the best can't polish turds.
