What legislation is there currently in the United Kingdom to regulate cosmetic surgical practitioners and clinics?

You may have heard recently of the IHAS regulation which has been set up to help police the cosmetic surgical industry in the UK.

This is a government sponsored organisation in which clinics and practitioners register and are assessed according to their merits.

This is a very good step towards helping regulate the industry in United Kingdom which does not have much regulation at the moment. We very much hope that the IHAS registration will be successful but it is not compulsory for clinics to register and the whole system does depend on whether it is widely accepted by the general public.

If the IHAS system does become adapted throughout the UK and is used as a reference for patients we think it is very likely to be successful. However, this does depend on the amount of publicity and the budget given by the government to publicise the system.

Only time will tell whether the IHAS scheme will effectively please the industry but the early signs are promising.