ROGUE plastic surgeons will be shut down under plans to end a loophole that allows any doctor to carry out cosmetic procedures.
Medics will have to prove they have been specially trained to do operations including , tummy tucks, liposuction and facelifts.
Until now it has technically been legal for anyone with a medical degree to perform them.
Ministers will finally draw up tougher rules this week, can reveal.
Patients and experts have demanded better cosmetic safety for years, including in our Fabulous’ campaign.
Top plastic surgeon Keith Allison, of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “This is long overdue.
“The doesn’t guarantee that the person performing your has the right training and we clearly need to change that.
“They might be specialists who are not surgically trained, or they may just have a basic medical qualification so they can call themselves a doctor.”
More than 26,000 cosmetic procedures are carried out every year by registered surgeons in Britain, with many more .
Shady clinics undercut the prices of top surgeons but can give poor results and operate in dirty rooms.
Non-surgical procedures like the same problems and will also be subject to tougher regulations.
Practitioners have been caught injecting with little to no training, working in unsanitary living and garages, and using knock-off chemicals.
Mr Allison, a cosmetic surgeon since 2004, said: “I and lots of colleagues have had to look after patients whose procedures have not worked out.
“Some have significant infections or wound breakdowns or they are simply unhappy with the results.”
He says breast enlargements, liposuction and – known as blepharoplasty – are common problem areas.
Complications such as ulcers in patients’ eyes can be “horrific”, he said.
Mr Allison adds: “In the past people would have thought of surgery as a massive undertaking but the influencing world has highlighted what is possible and the field has expanded so quickly.”
Ashton Collins, from campaign group Save Face, said: “Since 2023 we have campaigned for legislation to stop people with no qualifications from offering high-risk procedures on the high street.
“We welcome progress towards protecting patients from serious harm.”
A spokesperson for doctors’ regulator the General Medical Council said: “‘Patient safety must always come first and no-one should carry out cosmetic surgery unless it is safe for them to do so.
“Our guidance is clear that doctors must work strictly within the limits of their competence and have the necessary training and expertise for any procedure they offer.
“Carrying out cosmetic interventions without the required skills puts patients at unacceptable risk.”
