Cosmetic Interventions - Survey of Scottish Population

Conclusions

This survey of the Scottish public reveals that a minority of adults believe that the surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures industries are regulated. While nearly half believe that cosmetic surgery is a regulated practice, a significantly smaller proportion believe this to be the case with non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Public confidence in the treatment provided by the surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures industries is not widespread at slightly less than one quarter of the adult population.

Scottish adults would be most likely to turn to their GP practice or search on the internet if they were seeking information about cosmetic procedures. A relatively significant proportion, however, also say they would use the NHS Scotland website.

A majority of the Scottish public disagree that it is acceptable for the NHS to cover the costs of caring for someone whose private cosmetic procedure has gone wrong. On this topic, Scottish adults are most likely to believe that if something were to go wrong with a cosmetic procedure their first point of contact would be the practitioner who conducted the work, followed by a smaller proportion who say they would first contact their GP.

Four per cent of the Scottish adult population have had a private cosmetic procedure in their lifetime, and they most frequently report having had a dental treatment.

Cosmetic dental treatments are emphasised throughout the findings, as in addition to being the most commonly undertaken procedure, they are the one most widely familiar to the general public and the one most commonly considered for the future.

Four per cent of the Scottish public say they are planning to have a cosmetic procedure in the next 12 months, and 16% of those who have never had a procedure report that they have thought about doing so. In both cases, this is particularly likely to be reported by women and younger adults.