Lip fillers gone wrong: When cosmetic surgery is unsafe
Cosmetic surgery is rising in popularity in an era of social media. When procedures such as lip fillers are becoming increasingly common, it’s important to ensure you’re taking precautions about where to get them done to minimise the chances of them going wrong.
This is particularly relevant as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has just released a report revealing that one in five independent cosmetic surgery service providers are putting patients at risk.
The organisation recently investigated 65 services that offer only cosmetic surgery or hair transplant surgery. During the process, it identified several areas of concern and issued requirement notices or taken enforcement action against 12 providers. These were issued to order the practices to improve.
Areas of concern
The areas of concern identified by the CQC include staff who lack the appropriate training, qualifications and competency, as well as a lack of attention to “fundamental safety processes”. In addition, it identified variable standards of governance and risk management across the practices it investigated.
It also found that many service providers carried out poor monitoring and management of patients whose condition might deteriorate. A number of clinics are also not following infection prevention and control standards.
The CQC also found that there was often a failure to ensure consent is obtained in a two-stage process, giving patients an appropriate cooling off period between the initial consultation and the surgery. It also shared its concerns about equipment maintenance among cosmetic surgery clinics.
Effects of lip fillers gone wrong
Problems with lip fillers can result in some incredibly distressing consequences. As your lips are such a prominent facial feature, it becomes highly difficult to minimise or hide the effect of a botched procedure.
If you’ve suffered from this form of medical negligence, you may end up experiencing bruising, scarring and other damage to your lips and face. It is also possible that you have suffered an allergic reaction or even paralysis from lip fillers gone wrong.
Lumps and bumps along the lips and site of the injection, as well as asymmetrical lips, swelling and itching can also result from having the procedure carried out in an unsafe environment.
Clinics should ensure patient safety
Professor Ted Baker, CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, said: “Patients should be able to expect safe, high quality care from all providers of cosmetic surgery. Staff must be appropriately trained and supported to carry out their role, effective processes should be in place to monitor patients during and after procedures and emergency equipment on hand to ensure patient safety.
“We know there are some independent cosmetic surgery providers doing all these things and providing a very good standard of care. Unfortunately, our initial inspections suggest that this is not always the case.”
He urged everyone considering cosmetic surgery to read the CQC’s reports before deciding on a provider or clinic.
If you’ve had a cosmetic surgery procedure like lip fillers go wrong, you could be entitled to medical negligence compensation to help you get the right treatment and care.
Contact First4Lawyers for more information on how we can help. Just give us a call, request a call back at the top of your screen or start your claim online.
