I found this board whilst running a search for some unrelated conditions for a research project I am conducting.
Firstly, I work in the NHS at a Plastic Surgery & Burns Research Unit. I have been a nurse in Plastic Surgery since 1972.
I think it is important to reinforce the advice that when searching for a PS surgeon in the UK that the starting point is to check whether the surgeon you are considering is a member of the two organisations that govern PS, training, accreditation and registration in the UK:
1. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) at:
www.baaps.org.uk/ 2. The British Association of Plastic Surgeons' at: www.baps.co.uk/
Concerning the Private sector then BAAPS is the best reference but also check if the surgeon is also working in the NHS.
Over the years I have seen some disastrous results referred to the NHS PS sector for correction and repair and with the constraints on the NHS nowadays very little pure cosmetic work is done except in exceptional circumstances or due to trauma.
You have to view the costs of PS as you would when buying anything else that can be costly, a house, a car etc.
I understand the reluctance to pay an initial consultation fee with two to three surgeons but the consequences and resulting costs to repair a bad job are far higher, not only financially but emotionally also.
Although I speak from the other side of the fence here, I have found that surgeons who work in the NHS and have a private practice are better educated and skilled in the art of plastic surgery and more up-to-date with current practices and methods. They review their practices and procedures more frequently and publish papers regularly in the professional journals.
It is also worth checking the hospital the surgeon uses, the team that will care for you and the costs of the hospital and the Anaesthetist fees.
If you want to check just how active a surgeon is publishing in the professional PS journals then you can search for publications at the National Library of Medicine. This database is MedLine and is referred to by all professionals in the world of medicine, surgey and nursing when searching for literature etc.
You can access it here:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi The instructions are fairly easy and for an author search the format is Surname then Initials i.e. smith jk
I apologise for the length of this post but feel strongly that you get good advice and find a surgeon you feel comfortable with.
Of course in an ideal world the NHS would be providing these services as it used to but that's another discussion!!!!
Andy
Topic: UK Surgeons (Read 11859 times)
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