Cosmetic Surgery is often the go-to solution for anyone wanting to look as good as the woman on the front cover of magazines. Beauty and makeup vloggers have however empowered women with knowledge to make themselves look better without the need of a knife!
- To support this the latest figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons(BAAPS) show that the number of people having cosmetic surgery in the UK in 2016 dropped by 40% compared with 2015.
- 20,000 fewer cosmetic surgery procedures were carried out in 2016
Could the reason for this be simply the fact that botox injections and chemical peels are significantly cheaper or due to the horror stories that you hear via friends or in the media?
Take for example Sarah from the North West aged 20
“my breast augmentation didn’t go as planned and I decided after talking to my friends to claim against the company for clinical negligence. I won enough to put a deposit down on a house “
Sarah was able to claim because her solicitors proved that the treatment was done negligently and negotiated a generous settlement.
You must start your claim within three years from when the incident happened or when you first realised you’d suffered an injury (this is called the date of knowledge). In the case of children, the 3-year limit doesn’t start to apply until their 18th birthday.
If the claim is about a patient who can’t manage their own affairs because of a mental disability, the 3-year period doesn’t apply until (and unless) they recover from their disability. In both these cases, a parent or other person close to them can make a claim on their behalf.
In 2015, the rise of selfies was cited by BAAPS as a cause for more cosmetic procedures. However, the popularity of photo editing apps and more advanced filters on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat arguably contributed to the inverse effect in 2016, as people no longer felt the need to turn to surgery to change their appearance.
Dying to be Beautiful
Dying to be Beautiful3D-Lipo, a company specialising in non-surgical fat reduction, launched a campaign in 2016 urging people to shun cosmetic surgery and instead try their non-invasive alternative.
The hard-hitting #DyingToBeBeautiful initiative featured former The Only Way Is Essex stars Amy Childs and Danielle Armstrong being operated on in coffin-like hospital beds, and was designed to highlight the increasing risks associated with surgical procedures.
The horror stories are probably still a contributing factor to this decline. The good news for those who do think the best ‘Go to’ option in their quest to be beautiful, is that there is legal duty of care owed by the cosmetic surgeon to every patient. Whilst Sarah’s claim was obvious because it was a clear cut case there are many other areas where claims are perfectly justified but you may not realise there can be a claim.
For example breast augmentation surgery can go wrong if sufferers experience:
- Bleeding into the tissues causing pain and discomfort.
- Haematoma as a result of the bleeding.
- Infection which can cause wound breakdown and poor scarring.
- Implants can be visible through the skin.
- Nipple sensation can be reduced or lost.
Thankfully for people who still believe beauty is in the eye of the cosmetic surgeon, there are standards and regulations in place. Just because Sarah took out cosmetic surgery through choice doesn’t mean she had to accept the outcome.
If you have suffered pain, discomfort or any of the symptoms listed above because of cosmetic surgery negligence, you and patients like Sarah have a right to make a compensation claim.
You can make a claim for pain and suffering as a result of any negligent treatment, as well as claiming for the costs of any further revision treatment.
The BAAPS website says “no procedure is 100% risk free and no surgeon can give a 100% guarantee of the results” but its useful to know your legal rights.
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