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Nearly three quarters (72.9 per cent) of GPs felt inadequately prepared to deal with the increasing demand for cosmetic surgery.

Over half of the 155 GPs surveyed by GP (54.8 per cent) said the number of queries they received was increasing. Demand for cosmetic surgery is rising in the UK as the stigma and perceptions of cosmetic treatments change, a recent survey by the Harley Medical Group found.

Despite this, just over a quarter of GPs felt adequately trained when asked about cosmetic surgery, with 21 per cent having to tell patients to look on the internet and 59.1 per cent advising them to contact a private hospital when the treatment was not offered on the NHS.

The majority of GPs (63 per cent) would counsel the patients about the reason they wanted surgery.

Breast augmentation was by far the most common query reported by GPs, with treatments associated with obesity, such as liposuction and abdominoplasty also commonly asked about. Facial improvements like rhinoplasty and eye lifts were the third most commonly reported.

But although GPs feel inadequately prepared to deal with questions about the procedure, only 9 per cent would like to provide the service in their practice. A small proportion, (5.2 per cent) already perform cosmetic procedures in their practice.

tom.ireland@haymarket.com

Read our blog 'Cosmetic surgery loses its lustre'

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