THE STATE’S chief medical officer has urged members of the the public considering undergoing cosmetic surgery at home or abroad to discuss their plans with their GP first and not to opt for procedures on the basis of price alone.
Dr Tony Holohan issued his patient safety advice yesterday following a number of reports of adverse events among patients who travelled overseas for cosmetic surgery, as well as among patients who had cosmetic procedures at clinics in the Republic.
In 2005, a 42-year-old Co Limerick woman, Kay Cregan, of Skagh, Croom, died three days after she had minor facial surgery at a New York clinic. Since then there have been reports of no follow-up being provided for Irish patients who suffered complications following gastric band surgery in Hungary, as well as poor follow-up for those suffering complications following surgery at the now liquidated Advanced Cosmetic Surgery (ACS) clinic in Dublin.
Earlier this year Dr Marco Loiacono, an Italian plastic surgeon, was found guilty of professional misconduct in relation to his treatment of a 33-year-old Dublin woman who attended him for a breast augmentation operation at ACS in 2006.
The operation was provided at a discounted price.
Members of the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons also said recently they were seeing a few post-operative complications a month in their hospitals following treatments at private cosmetic surgery clinics in the State.
Dr Holohan said anyone planning to undergo cosmetic surgery should bear in mind some important guidelines before they undergo any procedure.
“You should initially discuss the issue with your general practitioner to ensure that you are a suitable candidate for the procedure. Your GP will have knowledge of specialist doctors in your area and will help you to choose the most appropriate one for you.
“Furthermore, your GP will be able to help you to interpret any claims that are made in advertisements. You should not choose a service on the basis of price alone,” he said.
“If you have a medical condition, allergy or are taking any medications, your GP will have important information which should be passed to the surgeon,” he added.
He also said patients should ensure the procedure they are planning is carried out by an appropriately registered medical practitioner either in Ireland or the country to which they are travelling. This can be checked through the Medical Council here or through similar regulatory bodies in other countries.
“Prior to any procedure, you should identify what follow-up care and medical support you will need,” he added.