Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

Now that the economy is slowly recovering, the number of plastic surgery procedures is on the rise as well. In 2010, over 13 million Americans had cosmetic surgery performed on them, up 5 percent from the year before. As American Society of Plastic Surgeons President Dr. Phillip Haeck stated: ‘The economy is showing signs of improvement and, financially, things are a little better for people this year. As the aging population continues to grow, people are investing in plastic surgery procedures to help stay competitive in the workplace.’

During the height of the recession, plastic surgeons took a bigger hit than most industries. Dr. Jason Diamond explained that some surgeons’ business was down 50 percent, and they really struggled not to go out of business.

One area of plastic surgery that was never affected by the economy was injectables. Botox, used by many famous celebrities, remains a strong seller – over 11 million injections in 2010, up 12 percent from the year before. As Dr. Haeck explained: ‘Fat injections are up 14 percent…a patient’s own fat is being used in more creative ways to rejuvenate the face and body.’

Many people waited until the economy started to recover. Vicki Benko, 51, wanted to see how the layoffs were going to go at her company before getting the surgery done. She had a brow lift and had her upper and lower eyelids tightened, and is very happy with the results. ‘I look more rested, I look more energetic. It was a good investment’, she said.

There is also a rise in excess skin removal because of all the people who have lost weight in the last couple of years. Breast lifts, thigh lifts, upper arm lifts and lower body lifts are all more common now that the economy is starting to improve.

Elective cosmetic surgery is not the only kind of plastic surgery on the rise; people who have been injured are also getting reconstructive surgery more often — this sector has risen 2 percent.

As the economy improves, there is no doubt that all types of cosmetic and plastic surgery will continue to get more popular. Affordability is very important when it comes to elective surgery.

The cost of cosmetic procedures may double within just one year in Britain. An increase of lawsuits has caused many of the surgeons to raise the price of the procedures that they perform. Private plastic surgeons may even be forced to double the fees of these procedures to help cover the costs of legal insurance. Currently, most breast enlargement procedures in Britain cost about £5,000. If the price were to double, a simple breast enlargement procedure would cost up to £10,000. Face lifts would also cost more, rising from about £6,000 to £12,000.

The Cosmetic Surgery Today website stated warnings about the cost of these cosmetic procedures rising shortly after Penny Johnson started a £54million lawsuit against a plastic surgeon. She claims that the procedure was a botched operation and is completely miserable with the outcome. She says that her career and life was ruined due to this operation. Mrs. Johnson says the face lift left her with a droopy eye. Because she has trouble closing her right eye, she has troubles sleeping. Lawsuits like this one are negatively impacting the industry of cosmetic surgery.

Not only will the surgeons suffer, those who are looking to have cosmetic procedures done will also be discouraged at such high prices. The only people who win in situations like this are the lawyers who are making money off of all of the legal fees. As with all surgeries, cosmetic surgery has its risks as well. Before having any procedure done, a patient must sign their name to give consent for the procedure. Everything should be read before singing so that the patient is fully aware of the possibility of complications that may occur during or after the procedure.

With different legal claims like Mrs. Johnson’s, many practices in the UK may shut down. Every patient has the right to be protected during all circumstances and should be able to seek financial compensation if something is to go wrong. However, £54 million is a very drastic amount especially because a surgeons medical insurance only covers up to £10 million. When a judge awards a patient more than the £10 million that the surgeon is covered, there is a very high possibility that the surgeon will face bankruptcy. As a result of lawsuits like this, future patients will end up paying much higher fees for any procedure.

Many people have been receiving non-urgent cosmetic and medical surgeries, and the bills have been paid by the taxpayers. These non-urgent procedures include acupuncture, Botox and even penile implants. More than £78,786 of the taxpayers money has been spent on these procedures since 2009, NHS Surrey reported.

The most money was spent on acupuncture, with 50 seperate patients spending more than £1000 each for a total cost of £51,428. The next most expensive was Botox, with 33 people treated for excess sweating. This has cost taxpayers £15,133. And finally 4 people got penile implants with a price-tag of £12,225. Even more was spent on removing excess skin. The money spent on this was £15,651. But by far the most prevalent treatment formerly covered by taxpayers’ money is the epidural spinal injection used for the treatment of chronic back pain. £209,936 was spent on this procedure last year, with £136,387 already being spent this year.

The health service’s Fast, Steady, Stop Programme will end the payment for all of these non-urgent procedures to save the county money. NHS Surrey has stated: ‘if you don’t need it, the NHS won’t won’t pay for it’. From now on, these procedures will only be paid for if completely necessary. Health services could not explain exactly what this means.

The other procedure which the health service will stop paying for are: facial hirsutism for women, hair transplant, corrective surgery for male pattern baldness, general hair loss correction and tattoo removal.

One large reason for the cessation of payment for these procedures is to try to correct the £125m deficit in NHS Surrey.

A PCT spokesman said that some procedures could still be used if doctors think it is the right approach, but this will be determined on an individual basis. He said also that in certain cases, it is possible that acupuncture could be used to treat people with chronic back problems.

He also went on to explain how the ‘Fast, Steady, Stop’ approach would help Surrey provide better treatment and make better use of taxpayers’ money. The hope is also obviously o balace the budget in Surrey.

Consumers now a days are using personal loans now to pay for cosmetic and medical procedures, whether needed or not. With the rise of cosmetic surgery, personal loans have become the new way to pay for procedures, whether needed or only for aesthetic reasons now.

Since there has been a rise in cosmetic surgery, even with the recession in full swing, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, also known as BAAPS, notes that procedures have exceeded 36,400 in the year 2009 alone. This means that there has been a 6.7% over all increase since 2008 alone. The largest cosmetic surgery provider in the UK, the Harley Medical Group, has seen an overall growth increase of 4% for the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years. They saw a 23% increase in abdominoplasty and a 13% increase in liposuction procedures.

They have noticed, that regardless of the recession, both non-surgical and surgical procedures are more popular than ever. Also, data from the Sainbury’s Bank shows that consumers and patients are looking at and comparing personal loans more and more to pay for these procedures and medical surgeries.

Sainbury’s Bank shows that Britons have borrowed £11.57m in personal loans last year alone. There were over 800 loans, which totaled £5m of the amount above that were used for cosmetic surgeries. The other portion, the £6.8m covered elective and medically necessary procedures, such as hip replacement. Procedures such as joint replacement is covered by the NHS, however the wait list is too long, many patients are serious pain and discomfort and many patients decide to pay the £7,000 to £9,000 themselves.

Sainbury’s Finance departed commented that although many loans are taken out for home improvements, buying cars, buying other luxury items and vacations, there is a high number of loans that are used strictly for cosmetic expenses that people feel they need.

Financial advisers note that loans should be compared when looking to cover medical and cosmetic procedures before any loan paper work is filled out. In the long run, this could save a person anywhere from hundreds to thousands of pounds in repayment fees and interest.

Some people are actually stealing to pay to have bigger breasts, slimmer arms and botox treatments. With these types of procedures being so popular today, I guess people who can’t afford it are finding other ways to pay for their obsessions.

Boyfriend Steals Money to Pay for Girlfriend’s Breast Implants

Some people are desperate to have larger breasts or their boyfriends are I should say as in the report of a woman’s boyfriend who stole a signed check for 9,000 euros to pay for his girlfriend’s breast enlargement operation. The girlfriend now wishes she had never had the surgery and wishes she could just yank them right off and hand them to her now ex-boyfriend. The girlfriend always wanted bigger breast but is not happy with the way she received them. Every time she looks down she is reminded of the crime that took place to put these large boobs on her chest. She reportedly was obsessed with getting cosmetic surgery and charmed her boyfriend into finding the money some way. Of course she never imagined that he would steal to pay for them.

Woman Steals Money for Cosmetic Surgery
A similar story was reported of a woman who stole 8,000euros of someone else’s money so she could have cosmetic surgery. She received breast implants and liposuction with the stolen money, but was later arrested and jailed.

California Woman Steals Another’s Identity for Cosmetic Surgery
A 30 year old woman committed fraud by using someone else’s identity to cover the cost of her cosmetic surgery that totaled $12,000. She had the surgery in Huntington Beach at a clinic, but never returned for her follow-up office visit. She was later identified in a photo-lineup and was arrested. The judge sentenced her to 180 days in jail and put her on three years of probation. She plead guilty to the crimes, which included grand theft, identity theft and second-degree burglary. She also must pay restitution.

Florida Woman Steals Another’s Identity to Pay for Slimmer Arms
A woman in Florida stole the identity of another woman to pay for breast implants and liposuction on her arms to remove sagging flesh. The woman who is 29 and a single mother charged up more than $5,000 during her spending spree of cosmetic surgery.

The woman stole a college enrollment form that was filled out by another woman and placed inside a mailbox outside of a post office. The college never received the application and later the victim soon found out that five credit cards had been opened and used in her name with charges of $12,000.

After an investigation was done, the cosmetic surgery clinic was discovered on one of the credit card charges. The accused had told the clinic that her cousin would be paying for the surgery and when police found the cousin they discovered a driver’s license in her possession with the victim’s name on it. The woman who stole the identity is facing up to ten years of prison time.

Woman Steals Cosmetic Treatments by Bouncing Checks
A woman who is now called the Botox Bandit reportedly went into cosmetic surgery clinics, had work done and simply walked out without paying or wrote bad checks. The woman apparently stole a fortune in botox and other beauty treatments.

The United States is trying hard to find money to fund their huge overhaul of health care which will cost an estimated $871 billion. Senator Harry Reid’s proposed bill included seventeen tax increases and new taxes. One tax that was included on the proposal raised a cry of outrage: the ‘Botax’. This tax was outlined as a 5 percent excise tax on elective cosmetic surgeries. The outcry was enough to squash the proposed tax.

The proposed tax was expected to raise at least $6 billion over the next ten years. However, cosmetic surgery providers did not want their patients to have to pay that money. An aggressive lobbying campaign was organized by 22 surgical societies including the American Medical Association and Botox maker, Allergen Inc. The campaign fought fiercely to derail this idea by focusing on the fact that the tax was unfairly geared toward women.

Nearly 90 percent of all cosmetic procedures are performed on women, 91 percent of which are between the ages of 19 and 64. Some have called the tax sexist. Terry O’neil, president of the National Organization for Women, told the Times that, during this time of recession, many middle aged women are using cosmetic surgery to help them to stay competitive in the shrinking job market. She also said, “[the government] is going to put a tax on middle-aged women in a society that devalues them for being middle-aged.”

Dr. Renato Saltz, president of the ASAPS, said, “This tax is effectively a “soccer Mom” tax that will adversely impact mainstream American wives and mothers, who are the majority of plastic surgery patients. As doctors, we understand and appreciate the need for health care reform, but taxing physicians and cosmetic surgery procedures to pay for the reform is not realistic or beneficial.” These comments and others made by the campaign seem to have struck the right chord. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid heard the chord and removed the tax from the bill.

Thus, many people have exhaled a sigh of relief, knowing that the proposed tax is no longer an issue. However, Dr. Saltz warns, “I’m glad the cosmetic surgery tax-at least for now- is out, but we are not ready to celebrate just yet.” This proposed tax was a wake-up call to the cosmetic surgery industry. Protecting their patients from unfair treatment is one of the responsibilities that doctors hold on their shoulders. Cosmetic surgeons hope to be able to protect their patients from the possibility that this unfair tax will be proposed again.

The Botax was replaced on the bill by a tax on services provided by tanning salons. The tanning industry is of course outraged by this as well. The proposed tax is a 10 percent sales tax.

Society is slowly changing their attitudes toward cosmetic surgery. The continuous increase in the numbers of procedures performed each year is a testament to this fact. However, not everyone is comfortable admitting to having undergone a cosmetic procedure. United States politicians are rumored to have undergone plastic surgery, but they are not telling.

Dr. Ayman Hakki, of the Luxxery Cosmetic Medical Boutique in Waldorf, Maryland, is an accomplished cosmetic surgeon who has a keen eye for individuals who have undergone plastic surgery. He has performed procedures on Miss America and Washington Redskins Hall of Famers. He has been touted as a celebrity cosmetic surgeon and his opinions are respected throughout the US. He has compiled a list concerning which politicians he believes have undergone plastic surgery.

The Plastic Surgery Channel reported some of these results and many high profile politicians have made the list. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has denied having any plastic surgery when question about it, however Dr. Hakki sees strong signs that indicate that Mrs. Clinton had Botox injections in her forehead. Another high profile female politician is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who he claims has had a face and neck lift.

Dr. Hakki is sure that political plastic surgery is not monopolized by women. He claimed that Vice president Joe Bidden and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have both under gone procedures. He believes that Bidden had hair transplants and Botox, and Schwarzenegger had a partial face lift. Dr. Hakki admits that he has not performed any procedures on these individuals , but he is confident in his ability
to spot the signs.

Even with the change of attitude in society, concerning cosmetic procedures, many politicians are not willing to admit to them. They fear that people will consider them vain and some will have procedures done in small stages over a long period of time, to avoid arousing suspicion. On the website A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Cap Lesesne said, “Politicians want to come away looking younger, better, healthier, but with something that does not say they have had plastic surgery.”

Some Chinese officials who have also undergone plastic surgery are reluctant to admit to it. Whereas Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh all admit to using Botoz, the injectable wrinkle relaxer.

Cosmetic surgeons and patients alike worry about the cost of corrective procedures. Beautysure, the world’s first cosmic surgery insurer for patients, created a policy that would cover a patient for up to ,4,000 for any common complication. The complications included things such as capsular contracture, infections, scarring requiring surgery, and MRSA. The policy would not cover aesthetic dissatisfaction.

This insurance option was available through members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). Juliet Bentley, founding director of Beautysure Insurance Products Ltd., commented in June of 2009, “Whether the patients take out the insurance themselves as individuals, or the surgeons choose the option
of insuring them all via one policy covering their entire practice, Beautysure can finally eliminate the worry all round of financial burdens, should complications occur.” She had high expectations for this insurance company.

Beautysure Insurance Products Ltd. was launched in March of 2009 and only eight months later it was shut down. Its parent company Lorega integrated and restructured the company. Lorega chairman Malcolm Harvey said in a press release, “It’s disappointing when a product that initially showed much promise falters. However as the demand is now proven we have spoken to our key introducers and taken swift action to restructure in order to more accurately meet their needs.”

Lorega was established in 1933 as a claims service for businesses and has an outstanding record for making the claims process easier. They hope to use their expertise to provide a higher level of service to the surgeons of BAAPS and BAPRAS. Lorega’s City of London based team will now administer all of the policies, since Juliet Bentley has moved on to a different area of insurance.

The idea of an insurance that will cover patients and surgeons for complications surgery is very good. Juliet Bentley can be applauded as a visionary for bringing the UK such a helpful service. Now it is up to Lorega to keep it afloat. Cosmetic surgery is a ,1.1 bn industry and insurance policies were well over due. With these
insurance policies both surgeons and patients can be confident that if complications arise then the resulting care will be covered. This insurance policy should make more people comfortable with having a cosmetic procedure done because their fears of extra costs due to complications will be assuaged.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) reported over 36,000 procedures in 2009. This is nearly a seven percent increase over 2008. The organization is a not-for-profit group that was established for the advancement of education and practice of aesthetic plastic surgery for the patients benefit. They have a strict set of rules and regulations that members must follow. There are surgeons who perform cosmetic surgeries in the UK, who are not members of the BAAPS. Some of these surgeons are not regulated and BAAPS is calling on the government to change that.

There was a One Show episode that focused on cosmetic surgery. It revealed that there were a lot of false PR claims and corrupt practices performed by plastic surgeons, and that there is no regulation preventing it. In the article ‘Minimizing Risk in Aesthetic Surgery’ Foad Nahai, of the International Society of Aesthetic
Plastic Surgeons, said, “Regulations governing the training of all cosmetic surgeons are sorely needed. Governments are reluctant to become involved, as they see this issue as a dispute between various physician groups and not a public safety issue.”

BAAPS’s Nigel Mercer could not disagree more with this reluctance. He believes that regulation of the cosmetic surgery field is a matter of public safety and thus should be taken on by the government. In a paper titled ‘Clinical Risk in Aesthetic Surgery’ he said , “There has been a massive increase in ‘marketing’, including discount vouchers, 2-for-one offers and holidays with surgery. In no other area of medicine is there such an un-regulated mess. What is worse is that the national governments would not allow it to happen in other areas of medicine. Imagine a ’2-for-1′ advert for general surgery? That way lies madness.”

France has instituted regulations and guidelines that must be followed by their plastic surgeons. In ‘France Sets Standards for Practice of Aesthetic Surgery’ a French surgeon lists some of these regulations as: -surgical procedures can only be undertaken by surgeons who are registered specialists and deemed competent -neither possession of a general medical degree nor that the practitioner is experienced are sufficient qualifications -a ban on all forms and methods of publicity and advertising, direct or indirect, in
whatever form, including the internet.

Many people believe that regulations similar to these should be implemented in the UK. The law in the UK presently says that , as long as the patients gives permission for the procedure than that surgeon can perform it, whether they are qualified or not. The BAAPS believes that this is unacceptable. Mr. Mercer said, “We have seen what a lack of regulation has done for banks and for the British parliament. There is a British Potato Council so why not an OFFCos [official cosmetic surgery regulator]? Surgeons can do more harm than potatoes….!”

A study performed by GoodSurgeonGuide showed that 51 percent of the women surveyed wanted a surgical procedure in 2010. Many women would have a procedure done if only they had the money to do it. Now there are institutions willing to give loans to women who want plastic surgery.

The most popular procedure in the UK is breast augmentation, and according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, there were 8,537 procedures performed in 2009. This is a little less than twice the number of the second most popular procedure. The media is constantly promoting bigger breasts and this can make women feel self conscious about their breast size. If they had the money to have a breast augmentation many would do it.

An article from Big News gives women hope for getting their dream breasts. It reported that there are groups of loan borrowers, of the sponsors of plastic surgeries. These institutions will offer money for cosmetic surgery. With the increased emphasis on looking good, many institutions can see the benefits of
offering loans to help people pay for their cosmetic procedures. Loan products have also been set up to help women who believe that they have a bad credit history and can’t get a loan. Women who want breast augmentation can find a lot of borrowers willing to help them.

Make Yourself Amazing is one of these groups that will help women to finance their breast augmentations. Their interest free loans are typically 12 month payment plans. These plans allow women to pay whatever they can, up front, and then pay the rest over a 12 month period, without any interest. They also offer flexible plans with regards to length of the loan, so that payments can be spread over a longer period of time. The plans are affordable. For example, repaying a treatment of ,2,995 can cost as little as ,20 a week, if it is spread over four years.

Having great breasts is something that most women want and would consider having plastic surgery to get. Some don’t do it because they don’t have all of the money set aside for it. Now that is no longer an issue. Loans are being offered to help women get the breast augmentations that they want. Women can have those awesome breasts in an affordable payment schedule that will fit their budget.