Did you suffer from avoidable harm during cosmetic surgery? If so, you may be eligible to make a cosmetic surgery claim to be compensated for your suffering with the help of our experienced panel of solicitors.
Key Takeaways
- Cosmetic surgery may impose harm and suffering when not completed with good medical practice.
- To be eligible to claim, a medical professional must have breached their duty, resulting in you suffering avoidable harm.
- Compensation amounts depend on the harm you suffered and the financial losses you incurred.
- You typically have three years to start a claim. However, some exceptions may apply to this rule.
- Our experienced panel of medical negligence solicitors may help you claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
To start a cosmetic surgery claim today, get in touch with our helpful advisors by:
- Visiting our contact page
- Calling us on 0333 000 0729
- Messaging us on our live chat
Jump To A Section
- Am I Eligible To Claim For Cosmetic Surgery Negligence?
- How Much Cosmetic Surgery Compensation You Can Claim
- Common Plastic Surgery Procedures That Lead To Claims
- Can I Claim For Procedures That Happened Abroad?
- How To Make A Cosmetic Surgery Claim
- How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help
- More Information
Am I Eligible To Claim For Cosmetic Surgery Negligence?
If you were under the care of a medical professional during cosmetic surgery and suffered avoidable harm, you may be eligible to make a cosmetic surgery claim. However, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- A medical professional must have owed you a duty of care
- They must have breached this duty
- This must have resulted in you suffering from avoidable and unnecessary harm
Medical professionals are legally obliged to maintain a duty of care by following good medical practice and providing the correct standard of care to their patients. Failure to do so would be considered negligence and a breach of this duty. If a patient subsequently suffers avoidable harm, they may be eligible to claim compensation.
To find out if you are eligible to make a cosmetic surgery claim, get in touch with our friendly advisors today.
How Much Cosmetic Surgery Compensation You Can Claim
If you have suffered unnecessary harm due to the negligent conduct of a professional cosmetic surgeon, you may ask, ‘How much compensation can I claim?’
Unfortunately, we cannot give you an accurate compensation figure you may be entitled to without evaluating your injuries and losses. However, we can explain how compensation is calculated and provide some examples of suggestive figures.
How Payouts Are Calculated
Medical negligence compensation is split into two heads of claim, referred to as general damages and special damages.
General damages compensate you for any harm you sustained, whether physical or psychological, due to the medical negligence. This award is calculated by a team that aims to ensure your award is fair and accurate. In doing so, they may use an independent medical assessor’s report to ensure you are compensated for all of your harm.
The team responsible for calculating your general damages may also refer to compensation guidelines presented by the Judicial College (JCG). The JCG lists different injuries and illnesses with their associated suggestive compensation figures.
The table below provides examples from the JCG, except from the top bracket, that may give you an insight as to how much you may be awarded. However, these figures are suggestive; you are not guaranteed these amounts.
| Injuries | Compensation | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries and Significant Psychological Suffering | Up to £500,000 plus | Multiple serious injuries that take into consideration psychological harm and considerable financial losses. |
| Bladder Injuries (c) | £78,080 to £97,540 | The injured suffered from serious impairment of control to the bladder with pain and incontinence. |
| Severe Psychiatric Damage | £66,920 to £141,240 | Factors considered with this award include the injured’s ability to cope with life, education, work, relationships, future vulnerability, and medical attention. The prognosis for this award would be poor. |
| Moderately Severe Psychiatric Damage | £23,270 to £66,920 | The above factors are taken into consideration, but the prognosis is more optimistic. |
| Bowel Injuries (b) | £54,420 to £85,100 | Severe abdominal injury resulting in impairment of bowel function. |
| Chest Injuries (c) | £38,210 to £66,920 | The injured suffered from damage to the chest and lung(s) causing some continuing disability. |
| Kidney Injuries (c) | £37,550 to £54,760 | The injuries suffered the loss of one kidney but no damage to the other. |
| Very Severe Facial Scarring | £36,340 to £118,790 | This award may be given to those in their teens or early thirties when the cosmetic effect is disfiguring, resulting in psychological harm. |
| Less Severe Facial Scarring | £21,920 to £59,090 | Disfigurement is substantial and injured suffers psychological injuries. |
| Numerous Noticeable Laceration Scars or One Disfiguring Scar | £9,560 to £27,740 | Noticeable laceration scars or a disfiguring scar to the leg(s), arm(s), hand(s), back or chest. |
Claiming Special Damages
If the harm you suffered resulted in you incurring financial losses, you may be compensated for them under the head of claim special damages. Some examples of what you may be compensated for under special damages include:
- Lost wages
- Lost work benefits such as bonuses, holiday entitlement and pension contributions
- Costs towards healthcare, childcare and travel
- Payments for equipment for your recovery and home support
When claiming special damages, you must provide evidence of the losses you incurred; some examples include bank statements, payslips and receipts.
Get in touch with our advisors to learn more about cosmetic surgery compensation today.
Common Plastic Surgery Procedures That Lead To Claims
Some plastic surgery procedures impose risks, even when good medical conduct is followed. However, if medical professionals commit negligent conduct while completing your plastic surgery procedure, it may result in you suffering from serious harm that was unnecessary and avoidable.
Some examples of common plastic surgery procedures that may lead to compensation claims include:
- Liposuction – this is a procedure that removes unwanted fat from specific areas of the body.
- Abdominoplasty – this is also known as a tummy tuck procedure. This is often performed to improve the shape of the abdomen.
- Breast augmentation – this cosmetic procedure is used to increase the size of breasts using implants.
- Rhinoplasty – this procedure is often completed to change the shape and size of a person’s nose.
Contact us today if you have suffered unnecessary harm due to a medical professional’s negligent conduct during cosmetic surgery.
Can I Claim For Procedures That Happened Abroad?
If you suffered harm from cosmetic surgery abroad, you may wonder, ‘Am I still eligible to claim compensation?’
In 2023, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that the countries performing the highest rates of surgical procedures include Colombia, Mexico, Turkiye, Syria and Thailand. Further, their global statistics show an increase in medical tourism and that many UK residents are travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery.
Regardless of what country you have cosmetic surgery, you are owed a duty of care. If they fail to adhere to this duty and cause you unnecessary harm, you may be entitled to compensation.
Get in touch with our helpful advisors to find out if you are eligible to make a cosmetic surgery claim for a procedure you had abroad.
How To Make A Cosmetic Surgery Claim
If you want to make a cosmetic surgery claim, the following sections will provide some useful information on how this may be possible.
Gathering Evidence To Support Your Claim
When making any medical negligence claim, you must be able to prove that a medical professional breached their duty of care, resulting in you suffering from avoidable harm.
To prove medical negligence and support your claim, you must obtain evidence such as:
- Medical reports – these may state the details of the procedure you had and the harm it caused
- Copies of scans and test results – these may illustrate the harm caused by the medical professional’s negligent conduct
- Photographs showing the outcome of the negligence
- Copies of prescriptions to show what medication you had
- Diary entries of your symptoms and treatment
- Witness contact details
- Hospital correspondence to align dates
If you cannot get access to any evidence that proves how the medical professional was negligent, our panel of solicitors may help you obtain it.
How Long You Have To Make A Claim
As with all medical negligence claims, you must start your cosmetic surgery claim within a specific time frame. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you must start your claim within three years of the date the negligence occurred or from the date you became aware of the negligence.
However, as the circumstances of all medical negligence claims differ, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, the time limit may be paused on a claim if:
- The claimant is a minor- in this event, the time limit will be frozen until the child turns eighteen and will run until they turn twenty-one.
- The claimant lacks mental capacity, the time limit will be indefinitely frozen. However, if mental capacity is regained, the three-year time limit will commence from the date this became known.
If the time limit on a medical negligence claim has been frozen, a litigation friend may be appointed to act on behalf of the claimant. Our advisors can discuss the role of litigation friends with you if necessary.
Get in touch with our advisors to start your cosmetic surgery claim today.
How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Help
If you have suffered from avoidable harm during cosmetic surgery, we understand that you may be going through a difficult time. However, you may be eligible to make a cosmetic surgery compensation claim.
If you want to be compensated for your suffering, our excellent panel of medical negligence solicitors may support you claim compensation by:
- Supporting you through each step of the claims process
- Explaining key terminology and legal documentation
- Helping you obtain evidence to prove medical negligence
- Explaining medical negligence compensation
- Negotiating settlements with third parties on your behalf
We understand that you may be concerned about the cost of seeking legal representation from our panel of solicitors. However, they operate on a No Win No No Fee basis. Therefore, you may be able to sign a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) with them to avoid having to pay upfront solicitor fees.
If you sign a CFA, you pay your solicitor a success fee if your claim is successful, but this will be taken as a minimal, legally capped percentage of your compensation. If the result of the claim is unsuccessful, you are not required to pay your solicitor for the work they have completed on your claim.
To start a cosmetic surgery claim today, get in touch with our helpful advisors by:
- Visiting our contact page
- Calling us on 0333 000 0729
- Messaging us on our live chat
More Information
Access the links below for more useful information on medical negligence claims.
- Read our medical negligence FAQ
- Information on hospital negligence claims time limit
- Information on how to make a hospital negligence claim
References:
- Find your nearest urgent care centre, NHS.UK
- Find out if you are entitled to statutory sick pay, GOV.UK
- Learn more about professional medical standards, GMC.ORG
Thank you for taking the time to read this guide on cosmetic surgery claims. We hope this was helpful.
