With around 75,000 cosmetic surgeries carried out in the UK alone each year it is no surprise that once in a while things can go wrong. The physical and mental suffering caused by a botched cosmetic surgery can be intolerable for the patient and they are entitled to compensation for their suffering.
Most cosmetic surgery is incredibly invasive and there is huge potential for things to go wrong, whether it's a breast enlargement, face lift, nose job, liposuction or tummy tuck.
Even if surgery goes well a patient could be entitled to compensation if they were not fully informed of all the risks, side effects and alternatives to the surgery. While the majority of plastic surgeons are qualified and experienced, there are some who are practising without the correct qualifications and they are the ones likely to NOT give a patient all the information they require to make an informed decision on whether to go ahead or not.
Should a patient feel that they have suffered physical or mental torment due to plastic surgery and want to make a cosmetic surgery compensation claim the best thing they can do is contact a specialist medical negligence solicitor. The qualified solicitor will be able to use his or her expertise and experience to judge whether or not you have a case in the first place.
They will assess the evidence, including the injuries the patient has based on the surgery they underwent, they will investigate the clinic and the surgeon who carried out the work and come to a conclusion.
Should they feel a compensation claim can be made they will then officially take the patient on as a client and make the necessary legal arrangements to pursue the claim, including gathering further evidence to ensure the case is won and adequate compensation is made.
The amount of compensation a patient receives is ultimately decided by the judge hearing the case, should it be successful, and is based on the amount of suffering or disfigurement suffered by the patient and precedent set in previous cases. It can vary from a few thousand pounds upwards, into the millions in very serious cases of negligence.
For patients worrying about paying for legal representation they should be aware that in some cases Legal Aid can be awarded, where all or part of the fees are paid for by the government. This can be difficult to obtain, however, so a more common route is to choose a medical negligence solicitor who operates on a No Win, No Fee basis.
They will only charge for their services if the case is successful, which also means that if they decide to take on a case they are confident that they will be successful.
