Cosmetic surgery degree launched

A UK University is launching a degree course for surgeons to improve the safety of cosmetic surgery procedures

A British university will be the first to launch a degree in cosmetic surgery in a bid to improve safety measures surrounding procedures.

Anglia Ruskin University is launching the world's first practice-based degree in aesthetic surgery to provide newly qualified surgeons with the expertise they still lack, according to Professor James Frame.

'At present a newly qualified, fully-accredited plastic surgeon is released, totally lacking experience in aesthetic plastic surgery, and is able to operate in the private sector,' he says.

Currently all UK-qualified plastic surgeons are trained by the Royal College of Surgeons to a competency level that allows safe surgery management with the type of work carried out in the NHS, but this doesn't include cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic, or aesthetic plastic surgery, where the patient chooses to undergo treatment usually to improve their appearance, is different from plastic surgery offered for reconstructive purposes by the NHS.

Professor Frame says that aesthetic plastic surgery needs to be recognised in its own right.

'If aesthetic surgery is recognised as a speciality, with it's own qualification, then clearly the public will benefit because it will help them to easily identify and employ a qualified surgeon here in the UK,' says Professor Frame.

But the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Fazel Fatah, said: "The addition of an MSc may be desirable for some but is certainly not necessary for fully qualified plastic surgeons."

The course will begin in September 2012 and will be open to all accredited plastic surgeons based in the UK. MORE WORLD NEWS