BAPRAS launches major new campaign to help anyone considering cosmetic surgery to be safe.

Elite Surgical are proud to have joined the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) in their new ‘Think Over Before You Make Over’ campaign to help people make safe and informed cosmetic surgery choices. The new campaign allows members of the public who are thinking about cosmetic surgery access to free resources and advice that help to make a safe and considered approach. The new campaign will raise much needed awareness for the need for careful consideration prior to undergoing a cosmetic procedure.

‘Think Over Before You Make Over’

Every year thousands of people in the UK put themselves at serious risk of physical and psychological harm by undergoing bad or inappropriate surgery that could be easily avoided by asking some simple questions about their treatment.

Think Over Before You Make Over is a campaign to address the worrying lack of consumer awareness about how to choose safe and appropriate cosmetic surgery. Research conducted by BAPRAS found that thousands of people are putting their lives at risk by not taking the proper precautions before going ahead with cosmetic procedures. The risks included not only physical harm but more importantly psychological harm from poor or inappropriate cosmetic surgery.

Some of the worrying findings involved: a quarter of all people having cosmetic surgery in the UK (24%) do not check their surgeon’s credentials, a fifth (21%) aren’t aware of the risks associated with the procedure and a further fifth (22%) aren’t even clear on the potential outcomes of their procedure before going ahead. Furthermore, a quarter (27%) are not aware if any aftercare is available should something go wrong.

Rushing in to surgery without consideration can cause lasting damage – more than half (59%) of patients undertaking surgery less than two weeks after their first consultation are actually less confident about their appearance afterwards.

BAPRAS identified that half of all cosmetic surgery patients (53%) say keeping costs down is a major consideration. They found people choosing surgery in this way were much more likely to have disappointing results or feel less confident about themselves afterwards. The campaign also highlight things that every individual should consider before opting to have cosmetic surgery.

Nigel Mercer, BAPRAS President and Consultant Plastic Surgeon, said:
“Cosmetic surgery is not something to be taken lightly and yet thousands of people are putting themselves at serious risk by rushing in to major procedures recklessly, without consideration for their own safety. In fact, many people spend more time choosing an electrician than they do a surgeon. Think Over Before You Make Over is not here to promote cosmetic surgery; we recognise that thousands of people will choose to have surgery this year and we want all these people to read our campaign advice so they can make informed choices and protect themselves from bad practice.”

For more information about cosmetic surgery or the campaign please see: http://www.bapras.org.uk/public/think-over-before-you-make-over