Cosmetic surgery on the NHS - should it be allowed?

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.

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?

I went to the dentist. The dentist referred me to a dental hospital. It was suggested. The cosmetic part is more important to me, as with most people who get any sort of dental work such as braces done, but they're pretty intertwined.

If the surgery didn't improve my bite then it wouldn't exist, so I couldn't take it. The whole surgery is done simply to align the bite, which happily results in better cosmetic facial harmony - rather than directly trying to alter the cosmetics of the face. Maybe it would help if I showed a picture of what the surgery generally does:




I am sure there are some who would disagree with it being available on the NHS, but I think it's fairly worthy, along with braces for children. I hope this explained a little better.

First you should draw the line between cosmetic surgery and corrective surgery

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?

War veterans have most likely paid something in already and have done a huge deed for our country so should be entitled, The unemployed are being paid for by someone else anyway so I don't see why they should get an option? (I'm talking about permanently unemployed and not having a medical condition or serious reason for not working).

Then say that people who volunteer can clock up like, + points or something which get put toward that. We need volunteers.

I'm not a political person, I have my views but just don't know the best way of putting them into place etc.

Then raise national health tax or tax in general? I personally believe we should anyway adopt a system such as sweden where pretty much everyone (despite what they are earning) pay around 45-55% tax (maybe like 35% here?) (there wages are a lot higher than ours) so there wouldn't be any problem.

I understand why we have the NHS, And its a good thing, but you pay things in and get very little back (bare in mind we are being used by a lot of EU citizens as a free version of a excellent hospital which comes from our taxes anyway). I even struggle to get contraception sometimes from my GP, Last time I went in asking she said 'You know you are at the age for a baby, It might be a good time to start trying!', i'm 21 years old, No job, uni student.....

I get your point! However assuming the NHS stays in place with the current underlying idea of being a *universal* healthcare provider, whether this is a fair or unfair system, do you think it could be argued that plastic surgery for purely cosmetic reasons is an acceptable use of tax payer's money if it is causing insecurity issues/depression, bearing in mind all treatments on the NHS are given regardless of the amount the patient has contributed in tax?

Well it wouldn't be tax payers money really would it? You are paying in yourself, thats the whole point of the scheme, you HAVE to pay in a certain amount (Please bare in mind that private surgeries are extremely overpriced compared to the real cost) to even get the option.

If someone has had an illness or disfigurement or are suffering with true psychological issues which need to be corrected by cosmetic surgery then they shouldn't have to wait and is completely acceptable. However, I would like to point out that I myself have gone forward (I have Bipolar) and asked for corrective surgery and turned away. I am pretty much tormented by the problem I have and is a very visual image of a past I would must like to forget (Before being diagnosed) and would like nothing more than to have it fixxed. Am I up in arms that I'm not getting it though? Not really.

I see both sides of the picture really.

I meant assuming the NHS is as it is now, without your proposed scheme, would it be acceptable in any cosmetic cases?

Thanks for your personal input though, do you think cosmetic surgery would help you more than psychological treatment such as counselling?

I agree with the first part
Do you think there's a difference between sheer vanity and insecurity though?

Hmm, As it is now? Possibly? I know we are going through all these cuts (They complain if we get a tax rise and complain if we get spending cuts, oh the world is confusing) so maybe something such as, If you wish to have something for a non medical reason on the NHS you pay in X% more per month from your wages? For issues though it should be free. It would require a reshape to do in some ways and maybe may not be able just for the spending costs (But I personally see many other areas which really could just be binned) but I really don't see the big deal in people being allowed cosemitic procedures for any reason.

I have had counselling and I honest to god think it is useless. I've had quite a few and although for some people they work, I'm quite at peace with my mental state now, Since being diagnosed I know what my problem is, I know how to control it and those who I care about most know the issue I have and don't just ditch me whenever I have a rough spot. But the physical implications (which although were caused by myself admittedly (Please note that some days I couldn't even remember how i got from point A to point B)) are still visible and have done and continue to be a reminder to myself and a point of interest for others when I would rather just be seen as myself, not as someone with a visible issue.

Obviously! So if you were in the situation where you hated something very specific about your appearance, and were treated badly by certain people because of it, do you think you would grow up to be 'vain'? How does wanting to look 'normal' equate to being vain?

There you go with another scheme It would definitely be more acceptable to most people if it involved a contribution from those wishing to undergo it, but would you still think it was acceptable if there was no contribution from individuals? Also what do you mean by 'issues' (mental effects like insecurity problems, or health effects like bad back due to breast size?) and what areas do you think could be sacrificed in the NHS to allow more money to go towards cosmetic procedures?

Your reasons for wanting for the procedure are very different from most people's and really interesting, I definitely feel more inclined towards your case than I did towards the girl I know.

We should differentiate between cosmetic and plastic surgery. They are subtly different I believe. ( Can anyone clarify?)

Comestic surgery is predominantly about making yourself look better.

Plastics surgery is more to do with fixing scars, burns, etc.

I think plastic surgery should be alowed. Some people could potentially be physcologically affected by war wound etc....I think this is especillay true for wounds caused by a third party.

Cosmetic surgery is costing the tax payer money to boost someones ego.

It is more complicated than that, but that's the gist of my opinion.