35% of the people who underwent plastic surgery suffered from side effects, 17% suffered from complications after the operation and 8% complained about mistakes made by the doctors. These are the results of Altroconsumo published by the Fondazione Sanvenero Rosselli on the study and development of plastic surgery, during a press conference that preceded a meeting in Milan concerning safety in plastic surgery.

“The disasters frequently announced by the news – said Riccardo Mazzola, vice-president of the Fondazione Sanvenero Rosselli – are in most cases caused by “bandits”, who do not have any competence in plastic surgery”. According to Mazzola in Italy it is not necessary to have a specialization in plastic surgery and so many doctors, as soon as they graduate or even before, start operating people without any safety conditions.

“A surgeon can also practice plastic surgery, but only after having obtained a specialization which requires 5 or 6 years of hospital attendance”, he added, reminding that a plastic surgeon learns how to operate people practicing on those who had car accidents, burns, malformations or cancer. Some European clinics of plastic surgery in Austria, Belgium and Holland (but not in Italy) decided to formulate European standards on plastic surgery in order to guarantee the patients’ safety.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute