UK to review cosmetic surgery industry

A defective silicone gel breast implant, manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), is seen near surgical instruments after being removed from a patient by plastic surgeon Denis Boucq (L) in a clinic in Nice January 5, 2012.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has launched a review of the cosmetic surgery industry, which could lead to tighter restrictions on the way companies operate and market their services in the wake of the PIP breast implant scandal.

The Department of Health said on Wednesday that Bruce Keogh, medical director of the National Health Service, would lead a team that will gather evidence and make recommendations to the government by March.

The PIP scandal exposed deficiencies in the cosmetic surgery sector, with more than 40,000 British women given substandard silicone breast implants made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), among hundreds of thousands worldwide.

The review will also consider wider cosmetic procedures such as facelifts, liposuction and injections using Botox, the popular anti-wrinkle treatment made by Allergan.

"The recent problems with PIP breast implants have shone a light on the cosmetic surgery industry," Keogh said.

"Many questions have been raised, particularly around the regulation of clinics, whether all practitioners are adequately qualified, how well people are advised when money is changing hands, aggressive marketing techniques, and what protection is available when things go wrong."

Keogh said he was concerned people did not realize how serious cosmetic surgery was and often failed to consider potential complications.

A Department of Health survey found many people viewed the cost of surgery as more important than the qualifications of the people doing it, or how they would be looked after.

Two thirds of the 1,762 people questioned considered cost as a factor when deciding whether or not to have cosmetic surgery while only half took the qualifications of their practitioner into consideration.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Dan Lalor)