It has been reported that the number of people in the UK making negligence claims against cosmetic surgeons has increased significantly recently.

Cosmetic surgery negligence is currently at the forefront of many people’s minds following the sad news of the death of Denise Hendry, wife of ex-footballer Colin Hendry, last week. Denise Hendry had liposuction in 2002 and suffered greatly from a number of complications after surgery. In the intervening years, Hendry had to have several corrective surgeries to correct issues arising from the original liposuction surgery. Unfortunately in the last set of surgery, she fell into a coma and her husband made the agonising decision to turn her life support machine off. It is believed that the original cosmetic surgeon may be sued for negligence.

Part of the reason for the increased negligence claims is the massive increase in the cosmetic surgery industry in the UK. According to market research company Mintel, the cosmetic surgery industry was worth £143 million in 2002. In 2009, the plastic surgery industry is predicted to be worth £1.2 billion in the UK alone.

With such an increase in the number of cosmetic surgeries, it is no surprise that the number of complaints will increase.

Another factor may be the regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry in the UK. At present, surgeons who have other surgery specialities are permitted to do cosmetic surgery and the patient may be none the wiser. Non-invasive procedures such as Botox and dermal fillers are also currently unregulated.

The number of complaints is so worrying that the UK charity Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) is looking at setting up an independent group which would look at the success rate of cosmetic surgeons so that prospective patients can make better informed decisions over their surgery. The new group would also offer support to patients who find that their cosmetic surgery goes wrong.