Some may say otherwise, but beauty is considered to be skin deep. In the name of vanity, women and men are willing to put their hands in their pockets. Many will even dig deep enough to find the cash to fund cosmetic surgical procedures. While cosmetic surgery is becoming a popular way to plump, preen, refine and slim, few patients seek good advice from their GP before signing up to potentially dangerous procedures.

Although the cosmetic surgery industry is predicted to increase by 110 per cent by 2012, the lack of independent, user-friendly advice poses a serious problem, says the consumer group Which?. Their research found that only around one in eight people consult their GP before deciding to have cosmetic surgery or treatments.

When Which? interviewed people who were considering or had already undertaken cosmetic treatment, they found that only 15 per cent of people who were planning surgery and just 11 per cent of those who’d already had it had consulted their own doctor.

People were more likely to have asked friends and family or relied heavily on the internet and magazines, which carry much more advertising than impartial information.

Of those who did visit their GP, four in five found it helpful and three in four found the advice balanced. Of those who had visited their GP and then had surgery, three in four said their GP’s advice proved to be accurate.

When those who hadn’t chosen to visit their GP were asked why, reasons included negative experiences with their doctor in the past or even being told by others that it wouldn’t be helpful.

Frances Blunden, health campaigner at Which?, comments, “It is quite shocking that people will trust adverts in magazines but won’t consult their GP before they decide to have cosmetic treatments.

“It’s not a decision to take lightly, particularly as, in some cases, people will undergo a major operation, which obviously involves risks that should be talked through with their own, impartial doctor first.”

If you are considering cosmetic surgery and you don’t want to talk to your doctor, Which? offers a new source of impartial advice to help you choose a qualified surgeon and carefully consider a procedure.

“We’ve set up an online guide where people can get down-to-earth advice about different cosmetic treatments: what they involve, what the medical terms mean and what the risks are,” says Blunden. “We hope that GPs will refer their patients to this site as well.”

The online guide (available at www.which.co.uk/cosmetic) covers the most popular procedures and the associated risks. It also includes advice about how to check out clinics and surgeons before committing to anything, situations when people should simply walk away and what to do if something should go wrong.

Picture caption: Few people consult their GP before undergoing the cosmetic surgeon’s knife.

MyVillage, 18th October