Doctor's hand holding a syringe _200
“The youngest person I did a facelift on was eight. The child had a congenital problem so the skin was very lax. The oldest was 84. There’s a huge gap between the two, but both had their problem addressed radically by surgery.
“But if a woman in her 60s came to me asking for her nose to be reshaped, or a cheek implant or her chin reduced, I’d say what has happened in this person’s life to make them decide they want to change it, having lived with it for so many years. It may be better to send them to a psychologist.”
One category of patient he is extra cautious about operating on is men. If they have facelifts and skin is pulled back in the normal way, they often have to shave their ears. Otherwise, the scars have to sit in front of the ears – hence, reveals Mr McGeorge, a fondness for large sideburns among men who have had their looks refreshed.
“Men are allowed to grow old gracefully and if they are wanting surgery you have to understand the reason. They pay a higher price for procedures because scars are more noticeable.”
It is a contentious issue, but Mr McGeorge believes the NHS should fund more aesthetic procedures.
“In the main, aesthetic surgery shouldn’t be financed by the health service,” he says. “But there are individuals who do not feel anywhere close to what might be considered the norm. For people way outside the norm, the health service should have an obligation to normalise them. If a girl is born without any breast tissue, for the health service to perform a small augmentation of it should be the normal thing to do.
“In days gone by, clinicians used to make informed judgments having seen them as out-patients. Now managers tick boxes and patients are not even allowed to be seen for those problems, and the only way to even get a consultation is to go to private or to counselling session. The public of this country deserve at least the consultation.”
FOR more information on the BAAPS conference and expo at Chester Racecourse, go to www.baaps.org.uk
Surgery checklist
* Make your own decisions
* Be informed
* Know your surgeon
* Get the timing right
* Beware of “free consultations”
* Think about location
* Talk to your GP
* You can always change your mind
* Take your time