UK sources of information and / or support

 British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons

A professional association but their website includes lots of information for the public about plastic surgery and various surgical operations. Check this site out first before embarking on plastic surgery.

 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons

This site gives an overview of the of NHS plastic/reconstructive surgery practice, explaining the wide role of plastic surgeons in burns and tissue loss. It is not purely based on aesthetic work.

 Facial Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery

From ENT UK, the British Association of Head and Neck Surgeons.

 Department of Health - cosmetic surgery section of their website

Information which should help you to make an informed decision about whether or not to have surgery or non-surgical treatments.

 Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) breast implants: Joint surgical statement on clinical guidance for patients, GPs and surgeons

Authoritative professional and patient guidance for all women who have received a PIP breast implant.

  Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission is the heath and social care regulator for England. All independent clinics and hospitals that provide cosmetic surgery, or treatments that use lasers and intense pulsed light, must be registered and inspected by the Care Quality Commission. If you are thinking of having any of these treatments, this section of their website can help you make an informed decision about whether to go ahead and which clinic or hospital to go to.

 Consulting Room

An independent information resource for both the general public, the media and practitioners interested in surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments available in the UK.

 UK Cosmetic Surgery Support Site

Hosted by qualified psychologists. Offers discussions, chat rooms and information on cosmetic surgery.

 Oculoplastics.info

The aim of this site is to provide surgical trainees with free access to a comprehensive video atlas of oculoplastic surgical techniques (procedures that deal with the structures around the eye) and tutorials, but it is a useful resource to educate patients in great and graphic detail about the oculoplastic surgery they may be about to undergo.

 Safer Cosmetic Surgery

An online guide to cosmetic surgery. Includes various pictures, animations and videos describing various procedures. Provides information about safety, questions to ask during consultations, and where to get further information about cosmetic surgery procedures.

 Cosmetic Surgery

From The Hospital Group which has a network of 20+ clinics around the UK and also in Ireland.

 Breast Implant Information Society

Aims to provide independent information on breast implants and related surgery.

 Breast implants

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Breast reduction

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Liposuction

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Cosmetic surgery

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Plastic surgery

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

See also the Patient UK private health page of links.

See also an excellent US site - American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery - which gives authoritative information about cosmetic surgery.

Further sources / more detailed information

Some non-UK sites

The following list popular non-UK health information sites with content aimed at the general public. They are mainly from the US. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included but these large sites are comprehensive.

• Non-UK disease / illness sites
• Non-UK self-help / support group sites

More detailed medical information

The following list online sources of more detailed medical information, mainly from the UK. These sites are mainly aimed at health professionals, but are of interest to all. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included, but information about most medical topics can usually be found.

• PatientPlus - hundreds of medical reference articles provided by Patient UK.
• Evidence Based Medicine - such as from Clinical Evidence, The Cochrane Library, etc.
• Database of UK Clinical Guidelines - from NICE, SIGN, etc.
• Medline - abstracts available from thousands of journals.
• Sites listing free online medical textbooks and journals.
• Sites listing free medical images - pictures, atlases, anatomy, skin diseases, etc.