Can I Get Cosmetic Surgery on the NHS?

We all want to look better, but even if we decide that plastic surgery is the way to go, few of us have the money to do it. But can we get it free on the NHS?

The rule of thumb is quite simple. The NHS will not pay for procedures done for cosmetic reasons only. However, if you are suffering undue psychological trauma because of what you perceive to be a physical deformity, they may pay. To do this, you must follow guidelines as set out by your local health authority, and must need a referral from you GP. You will then have an assessment with a plastic surgeon as well as a psychiatrist, psychologist or psycho-sexual consultant, depending on your situation.

Please note that there is a difference between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. The former is carried out for aesthetic reasons alone, while the latter is designed to correct congenital abnormalities or those caused by injury or disease. Surgeons who carry out cosmetic surgery on the NHS are all members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, or BAAPS, which is a prerequisite for them doing this. So you can be sure the care you receive is high quality.

What Kind of Cosmetic Procedures Qualify for NHS Treatment?

Basically anything, as long as it can be proven to ¨enormously improve the quality of a patient´s life¨. The correction of protruding ears, nasal deformities and breast hypertrophy are some of the more obvious ones, but there are less obvious ones as well. For example, the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons also recognises the need for tattoo removal done under the NHS, as people can regret them bitterly in later life and they are perceived as restricting employment opportunities. Please be aware that new research has revealed that some people have been exaggerating their unhappiness with their looks in order to get free NHS surgery.

Other procedures that are shown to have exceptional health benefits are also available on the NHS. They include, among others:

• Breast Reduction: Only where there is severe accompanying pain
• Breast Enlargement: Asymmetry following surgery or for congenital reasons or when severe psychological stress is present
• Male Breast Reduction: Only in cases of severe distress or asymmetry
• Breast Uplift: In cases of asymmetry or severe stress
• Facelift: For people with nerve damage
• Upper Eyelid Lift: When this obscures vision
• Nosejob: Only to correct deformity, help better breathing or where there is severe stress
• Correction of Prominent Ears: Only after age 16 where there is severe stress
• Tummy Tuck: Only when there is physical pain or disabling stress

What About Relatively New Procedures?

That depends on whether on not they have been proven to work. Penis enlargement operations, for example, have not been conclusively shown to have real results. That´s why, except in cases of micropenis, they are generally not available on the NHS.

Plastic surgery that can change the way we feel about ourselves can, in some cases, be available on the NHS. But it may be more worthwhile to investigate why our self-esteem, or lack of it, hinges on factors such as the size of our breasts, tummies and noses. Everyone is unique, and life would be very boring if we all fulfilled society´s idea of beauty to the mark. Perhaps if we were able to be kinder to ourselves, and to others, the ¨need¨ for cosmetic surgery, both privately and on the NHS, would plummet.