Anglia Ruskin University is launching the world’s first degree in cosmetic plastic surgery. The Master’s degree will be entitled ‘Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery Practice’ and will be run from the Postgraduate Medical Institute in Chelmsford. The Professor in charge of the course, Prof James Frame advised that “…If aesthetic surgery is recognised as a speciality, with its own qualification, then clearly the public will benefit…”
The course is being offered to qualified plastic surgeons who are looking to specialise in cosmetic plastic surgery as opposed to reconstructive plastic surgery. The degree will give hands-on experience to newly qualified surgeons who lack the expertise needed for high quality aesthetic surgical procedures. Prof Frame wrote that currently a “…newly-qualified, fully-accredited plastic surgeon is released, totally lacking any experience in aesthetic plastic surgery, and is able to operate in the private sector. This degree… should improve the quality of surgery that patients receive.”
Cosmetic surgery procedures are increasing in popularity across the UK although tens of thousands of Britons are travelling abroad for aesthetic surgery but Prof Frame warns that the NHS spends millions of pounds every year rectifying problems caused by sub-standard procedures carried out overseas. Fazel Fatah, President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps), advised that plastic surgeons in the UK do receive aesthetic training under new syllabuses and that the addition of a Master’s degree is unnecessary for plastic surgeons qualifying in the UK.
