This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Cosmetic surgery on the NHS - should it be allowed?

Poll

Should cosmetic surgery be allowed on the NHS?

Someone I know has just had cosmetic surgery on the NHS. It's not normally allowed except to correct health issues, but she claimed it was making her depressed about herself and they allowed her to have it (she had a chin reduction).

On one hand, it was clearly something she was insecure about and she's definitely more confident now after she's undergone the surgery.

However it is using money from taxpayers, which could be spent on treatment for a patient with a life-threatening illness.

And more philosophically, is this sending the wrong message? She's adopted the attitude that she's 'beaten everyone who ever called her ugly' because she's pretty now, but this could easily be seen as her giving in to the media's idea of beauty, i.e. sending the message 'your life sucked because you were ugly, but now you fit the media's standards of beauty more, your life will get better'.

What do you think? And if you had something about your physical features seen as extremely unattractive in today's society, would you consider plastic surgery? If it was avaliable on the NHS would you take it or would you go private?

TL;DR: What are your views on purely cosmetic surgery given to people on the NHS?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

username430180

Waste of NHS money unless it's essential. When I have my plastic surgery, it's going to be when I can pay for it myself.

Reply 2

hayzelle

Original post by (:Becca(:

Waste of NHS money unless it's essential. When I have my plastic surgery, it's going to be when I can pay for it myself.

By 'essential' what do you mean? If it solves underlying health problems or do you think there are some cases when purely cosmetic surgery can be justified? :smile:

Reply 3

username430180

Original post by hayzelle

By 'essential' what do you mean? If it solves underlying health problems or do you think there are some cases when purely cosmetic surgery can be justified? :smile:

Underlying health issues e.g. breast reduction if the woman is having back problems.

Reply 4

Harmonic Minor

This is one of the problems with socialized medicine. You can work hard all your life and pay your taxes and still be denied whatever treatment (even if you've essentially paid for it multiple times over in taxes) on the basis that it isn't 'essential'.

Reply 5

Hylean

She shouldn't've been allowed to have it on the NHS, to be honest.

Reply 6

lucaf

nobody who gets cosmetic surgery does it because they are feeling good about themselves. if they make insecurity an excuse to get it on the NHS, everybody could get it. unless it is to correct serious deformities, it shouldn't be funded by the NHS

Reply 7

Jarred

I don't think it is fair to spend hard working taxpayers money on expensive procedures that are completely unnecesary to anyone's health. If you're feeling depressed about something cosmetic then go private. If your materialistic enough to get severely depressed (and not just a little bit down) over your personal looks then its not cosmetics we should be paying for but mental health support for the person concerned.
The NHS should focus on providing services crucial to the health of the people, the private sector is there for people who can pay for cosmetic procedures if they want it so bad.

Reply 8

Cicerao

Depends what kind of chin reduction it was - was there any dental work involved, or was it just a straight up chin reduction? I'm having surgery on my jaw on the NHS. It's largely cosmetic in that it improves facial harmony but it also aligns and improves the bite as well. So I'd obviously take some form of surgery on the NHS. But if I didn't like the size of my nose or something, I wouldn't hound the NHS for surgery.

Reply 9

Lil Piranha

Only in the cases of disfigurement / burns / surgical reconstruction etc. For example, someone who has advanced breast cancer may need a boob job after having a mastectomy.

My mate had to have a rhinoplasty after running full tilt into a glass door...

But not for sheer vanity, no.

Reply 10

hayzelle

Original post by Harmonic Minor

So do you think it should be allowed on the NHS?
You seem to think the NHS isn't a great system (forgive me if I misinterpretated you), but while it is in place is the whole idea of getting what you pay for not irrelevant? It was designed to support those in need regardless of how much tax they personally have contributed or how much they can afford to spend on health insurance.
Assuming the NHS stays in place, regardless of whether it's a good or bad system, do you think cosmetic plastic surgery can be justified as essential for some people? :smile:

Reply 11

Xyls

You pay money for the NHS, You should be allowed to get what you want from it WITHIN REASON (Not getting 10 surgeries/excessive surgery/not needed (example going from a DD boob to a F boob). For example, If someone has been working for 6 years full time, there should be no problem with them asking to get a boob job. However, You can't just demand one when and where you want it. There will need to be certain things like, paying in for X amount of time/ Paying in a certain amount.

Just my personal opinion, I can see how it could be abused but if you can put limits on it then sure why not? Surgery is a part of society today, we need to brace and accept it rather than look down on it, because for some people its a life changing thing and for some people its something they want.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 12

hayzelle

Original post by Jarred

I agree with most of this :biggrin:

I definitely think with insecurity/depression the focus should be on the mental health of the person rather than the outside appearance. Because it's 'inside' the damage is being done and changing the outside doesn't help the inside much IMO :colondollar:

Reply 13

Hippysnake

I'm interested in pursuing a career in plastics and think that cosmetic surgery should only be allowed if it would substantially improve a quality of life that is otherwise diminished.
Examples would be-
-Breast Reduction (Back pain)
-Breast Reconstruction (Following mastectomy or other disfigurement)
-Scar reduction (if on face/arms)
-Extremely prominent ears (Marked social/psychological impact)
-Other birth defects (Prominent birthmarks, moles etc)

I wouldn't advocate people using the NHS to have their breasts augmented or their tummy tucked, and to be frank, I don't see why anyone should have it done on the NHS. If you want it, go private. If it's affecting you that badly, go see a shrink.

Reply 14

hayzelle

Original post by Cicerao

It was just a chin reduction. Did you go to the NHS for your surgery/was it suggested? If you went to them, was the cosmetic part or the dental part the main focus? Do you think if it didn't improve your bite but they offered it to you you would take it?

Original post by Lil Piranha

I agree with the first part :biggrin:

Do you think there's a difference between sheer vanity and insecurity though?

Reply 15

llessur123

For disfigurement/burns or after cancer etc, yes. For everything else, no. I know a few people who have had labiaplasty on the NHS, purely for cosmetic reasons, one got it when she was 15. Rather unnecessary I think.

Reply 16

Lil Piranha

Original post by hayzelle

I agree with the first part :biggrin:

Do you think there's a difference between sheer vanity and insecurity though?

Oh definitely. But there's a difference between someone who has socially and physically debilitating burn scars and someone who's worried their boobs aren't big enough.

I have several things I don't like (ie. the boob thing, I also have a largeish mole on my face) but if I want to be rid of them I'll do it privately when I have money, or learn to accept myself.

Insecurity can be tackled via other means, and shouldn't be a ticket for free surgery.

Reply 17

hayzelle

Original post by Xyls

Even if there was a limit, it would still reduce the amount there was to spend on other treatments. Do you think it would weaken the NHS as well, because effectively people who contribute little to society in the way of taxes, e.g. people who do volunteer work or people who are war veterans as well as the unemployed would be entitled to less?