Can I claim the cost of corrective cosmetic surgery?
If you require expert guidance on claiming the cost of corrective cosmetic surgery contact our free legal helpline for a case assessment and details of no win, no fee funding.
According to statistics from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, more than 28,000 people undergo cosmetic surgery procedures in the UK every year.
They choose to have cosmetic surgery for a variety of reasons. It might be to improve their confidence or their appearance; or it could be a medical necessity. But whatever the reason, nobody undergoes cosmetic surgery thinking that the procedure will go wrong. Risks are often downplayed in cosmetic surgery advertising, while positive results are highlighted and praised. Whether it is a rhinoplasty, a face lift, fat transfer or implants the medical care should be of the highest standard, but unfortunately things do go wrong and a vast number of people are left unhappy with the results of their cosmetic surgery.
When it does go wrong what should patients do? Can corrective cometic surgery help? And if so, should they pay for it themselves? We frequently receive enquiries from patients who have received substandard surgery and have then had to pay the same surgeon for corrective work. It hardly seems fair that anyone in receipt of poor service should have to pay to put it right. We would therefore encourage anyone in that situation to call our free legal helpline and speak to a member of our specialist team about making a claim.
We recently dealt with a case where our client had breast implants fitted, but the pocket created for the implants was incorrect. This meant that the implants could shift easily under her skin and warp the shape of her breast. It left her in a great deal of discomfort and lowered her confidence. She was understandably desperate for corrective surgery. Her surgeon informed her that if she wanted him to correct his mistake it would cost her in excess of £3,000. She felt she was in an impossible position; while she believed it was unfair and unjust to have to pay for corrective surgery, she equally felt that she had to do something.
She decided to seek legal advice and we took on her claim, agreeing to work on a no win, no fee basis. We held the surgeon to account for his substandard care and argued that her corrective cosmetic surgery should be paid for by him. The claim succeeded and our client was awarded a compensation that not only paid for corrective surgery to be carried out, but in addition she received money for the ‘pain and suffering’ of having to undergo a second surgical procedure.
By taking legal action a patient can also insist that the corrective cosmetic surgery is carried out by another surgeon of their own choosing and not the surgeon who undertook the original surgery.