Beauty Demands

At our most recent workshop, Professor Ruth Holliday (University of Leeds) discussed her work on the project 'Sun, Sea, Sand & Silicone'. In  this video , Ruth and her colleague Dr David Bell talk about the trend for travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery, the reasons that motivate individuals to take such action and the factors which influence their choices with regards to issues such as selection of  a surgeon. For further details on the project, or to read the final report, visit the Sun, Sea, Sand and Silicone website.

In this post, Jean McHale reflects on the General Medical Council's latest guidance on cosmetic procedures. New Guidance on cosmetic procedures has been produced by the General Medical Council  “ Guidance for Doctors who offer cosmetic interventions ” (GMC 2016). The document  demonstrates growing awareness of the changing dynamics of clinician-patient relationship and the requirement to behave ethically in this area. Cosmetic procedures are being placed on the regulatory map and doctors who do not comply may be disciplined by their professional regulatory body. So far, so good. But look a little deeper and it is clear that,  in many respects, the Guidance is not the radical revolution it might first appear.  Various aspects of the guidance, such as those concerning safety and quality, reflect existing GMC Guidance concerning doctors including the documents:  " Good Medical Practice " (GMC 2013); " Good Practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devic...

In this post, Melanie Latham (Manchester Metropolitan University) reflects on new guidance for cosmetic practitioners - does it go far enough? New guidance for cosmetic practitioners published this week by two important medical bodies has been desperately needed in the UK for several years.  It should go a long way to protect patients. The General Medical Council’s (GMC) long-awaited guidance for cosmetic practitioners in the UK, “ Guidance for doctors who offer cosmetic interventions ”, comes into force in June 2016.  This is to be read alongside today’s publication from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) “ Professional Standards for Cosmetic Surgery ”, which concentrates on cosmetic surgery.  The new GMC guidance covers both surgical and non-surgical procedures, so facelifts, but also Botox.  It makes recommendations to practitioners about what they should do to practice professionally and refers to advertising; a cooling-off period; consent; a...