Industry not regulated in Ireland

There is no regulatory body specific to the cosmetic surgery industry in Ireland, although both the Harley Medical Group and Advanced Cosmetic Institute have said that they work closely with the Irish Medicines Board and the Medical Council.

The doctor performing the operation must be a qualified surgeon and a further specialist qualification, FRCS (Plast) from the Royal College of Surgeons in plastic and cosmetic surgery, is recommended.

All surgeries must be covered by professional indemnity insurance. To qualify for the cover, surgeons must be listed on a specialist register and have no history of having had successful claims against them.

Not everyone has forgotten the 1980s scare stories of leaking breast implants and Michael Jackson's nose as well as more recent incidence of infections following liposuction surgery. But according to Ms Halina Ashdown-Shiels of Advanced Cosmetic Institute, safety standards are "improving all the time". The Institute has been awarded the ISO 9002 standard in-patient care and environmental control.

Proposals by the British government to safeguard care standards in the cosmetic surgery industry include insisting on preoperative consultations between surgeons and patients, a two-week break between consultation and surgery and regular inspections of clinics.

But the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has criticised the proposals, believing they are not strong enough. According to the association, the proposals allow a medical practitioner to continue in practice without either being assessed or showing evidence of having received any formally recognised surgical specialist training.

In Ireland, prospective clients may be offered the chance to speak to ex-patients and are advised to ask them if they are being paid by the surgery for their recommendation.