The VHI Healthcare, a major health insurance group in Ireland, states that the industry remains largely unregulated and advises that you should find out as much as possible about the procedure and the surgeon before undergoing these types of operations.

So what are the alternatives to surgery? Could it be something simple like getting properly measured for a bra that would support you properly? If you are a man reading this then perhaps you may not have that in mind. Irish Health has a report on how poor bra choice can in fact damage and stretch fragile breast ligaments. You can read it here. I find it sad that Courtney Love has reportedly said “I just want the mouth God gave me. It was perfectly cute.”

You might explore Botox, Xeomin, Dysport and other injectable medicines used as dermal fillers in cosmetic procedures. If you take this route it might be worth asking who is actually legally responsible if you have problems afterwards. Are you having a consultation with that person or an equally qualified one at that clinic before the procedure happens? Who can administer these products and are there regulations for this area of medicine?

So how qualified is a particular surgeon? The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is an educational and scientific institution of surgeons, made up of Fellows (FRCSI) and Members (MRCSI) and oversees the training of surgeons. On successfully completing four years of basic training which is known as BST a surgeon can put MRCSI after their name, register with the Irish Medical Council and move on to higher surgical training (HST). This takes two years to complete and one of the specialist options is plastic surgery. On successfully completing HST they are awarded the Certificate of Completion of Surgical Training (CCST). On production of the CCST, the Medical Council awards the Certificate of Specialist Doctor (CSD) which is required for inclusion on the Specialist Register.

So there is Specialist Registration in place but how easy is it to access that information as a member of the public?

The The Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons is the professional representative body for plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the Republic of Ireland and is based at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. According to their website the Association is the only Irish body charged with the training of new doctors following a career in Plastic Surgery. Most plastic surgery operations will be undertaken in private hospitals. Is there a different system for dealing with complaints than for public hospitals? As it is a professional representative body presumably there is no obligation to belong? Does the patients charter apply for example? You can get a copy of the charter at The Irish Patients Association.

As far back as 2005 the consultant plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael Earley, called for regulation of cosmetic surgeons in clinics. You can read more about this at Seanad Éireann - Volume 187 - 01 November, 2007 - Cosmetic Surgery.

At this stage you can see that I have more questions than answers. So I cover the qualifications for eye specialists at Medical Qualifications and Associationsand will write about dentists in later articles.

It is possible to raise finance from loan companies for plastic surgery. There are private clinics that specialise is this type of surgery and will have a tie in to finance companies. Again this is something I will investigate further and write about shortly.

Please understand that this site is a source of information and we do our best to be accurate. However, you are advised to make further checks and we cannot be responsible for decisions you make based on what is written here.

If you don't take good care of yourself why should I?

On the 6th September 2008 it was widely reported in the press that Claire Black was about to take up a position as a consultant plastic surgeon in the North of Ireland. I was surprised that a woman succeeding in a job is note worthy. What it did bring home to me is just how long and hard people have to train to qualify for such a position. It has taken 14 years of medical training. It is wonderful that she can openly admit to being a mother and a woman, unlike a Dr Barry who pretended to be a man for 46 years in order to train as a doctor. Dr Barry was born in Ireland as Margaret Ann Bulkley, the daughter of Jeremiah, a grocer in Cork, and Mary-Ann, sister of James Barry, professor of painting at London's Royal Academy. You can read the full story here.

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