Website of the Department of Health

Considering a surgical or non-surgical procedure?

Cosmetic surgery and non-surgical cosmetic treatments are becoming more popular in the UK. If you are considering a surgical or non-surgical procedure it is important that you consider your reasons for wanting the procedure, your expectations of the results the procedure may bring, as well as making sure that you have all the information you need to make a properly informed decision about whether to go ahead. We suggest you start by looking at the considering cosmetic surgery? and considering non-surgical cosmetic treatments? pages. These pages give information about the questions you need to ask yourself and the questions you need to ask practitioners to make sure that your are confident in your choice of whether to have a surgical or non-surgical treatment, or no treatment at all.

Note: The Government has asked the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) to take the lead in setting up an industry-led self-regulatory scheme for botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. More details about this scheme will be given in due course.

• Considering cosmetic surgery?
• Considering non-surgical cosmetic procedures?

A - Z list of cosmetic procedures

Cosmetic surgery and non-surgical cosmetic treatments are provided in the independent (private) sector rather than the NHS. There are a huge range of surgical and non-surgical treatments available in hospitals, clinics and beauty salons. If you want more information about a specific procedure, the searchable pages provide details of the most common procedures - what each procedure is designed to do, how long it takes and its benefits and risks.

• A-Z list of cosmetic procedures

Qualifications - what they mean

We strongly recommend that people should find out about the qualifications and experience of surgeons, doctors, nurses and other practitioners who provide treatments. See the glossary of practitioners' qualifications, to give you an idea of who you should go to for which treatments.

• Qualifications - what they mean

A doctor or surgeon may have been trained or practiced abroad so may be a member of an overseas-based professional organisation.

• Download Professional Organisations Abroad (PDF, 23K)

When the results of your surgery are not what you expected

Sometimes people are not happy about the results of their procedure. Information on what you can do if this happens.

• When the results of your surgery are not what you expected

Cosmetic surgery useful links

Details of other organisations providing more information on cosmetic surgery.

• Cosmetic surgery useful links

What do we mean by 'cosmetic surgery' and 'non-surgical cosmetic treatments'?

In these webpages, the term 'cosmetic surgery' means operations that revise or change the appearance, colour, texture, structure or position of the bodily features to achieve what patients perceive to be more desirable. 'Non-surgical cosmetic treatments' means other procedures that revise or change the appearance, colour, texture, structure or position of the bodily features to achieve what patients perceive to be more desirable. These definitions don't cover beauty procedures that have no impact on the structure of body tissue, and they don't cover tattooing or piercing.

• Download Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 12K)

Acknowledgements

A number of other individuals and organisations have helped to compile these pages.

• Acknowledgements

Copyright Information

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