Report22nd June 2017

Cosmetic procedures: ethical issues

Exploring the growing proliferation, promotion and use of cosmetic procedures with a particular focus on the role and responsibilities of health and scientific professionals and others in responding to demand.

Cosmetic procedures

Full report (PDF)Guide to the report (PEF)Key recommendations‘One-year on’ update (2018)

Key recommendations:

• The Royal College of Surgeons, the General Medical Council, the major providers of cosmetic surgery, and professional bodies representing surgeons in the cosmetic sector should work together to ensure that all surgeons undertaking cosmetic surgery are certified to do so, and can access the necessary training.
• Public Health England should initiate a public awareness campaign to alert prospective users of cosmetic procedures to the importance of seeking practitioners who are ‘quality-marked’ through membership of a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
• A ban on offering cosmetic procedures to children and young people under the age of 18, other than in the context of multidisciplinary healthcare.
• Social media companies should collaborate to fund independent research on how social media may contribute to appearance anxiety, and how this can be minimised; and should act on the findings
• Download the key recommendations.