Facelif ts are in demand

Cost of providing plastic surgeries in State hospitals rose by 50% in 2017... with number of operations up 85%

THE cost of providing facelift and browlift operations in public hospitals soared by 50% in 2017 following a reported increase in demand for the procedures.

Almost €1million has been spent on facelifts and browlifts in State hospitals during the past nine years, according to new figures released by the Health Service Executive.

Facelifts typically involve the removal of excess skin from a patient’s face before the remaining tissue is tightened in order to remove wrinkles and create more youthful appearance.

A browlift is a similar operation designed to eliminate ‘worry lines’ and wrinkles from a patient’s forehead, removing certain facial muscles responsible for a drop in the brow position.

A total of 37 patients underwent the cosmetic procedures in public hospitals in 2017 at a cost of €146,985, representing a 50% increase in the total spend and a 19% rise in the number of patients compared to the previous year.

It is not known how much of this figure was taxpayer-funded.

The annual cost of the procedures has more than doubled since 2015, while the number of facelift and browlift operations increased by 85% during the same period.

This is consistent with the findings of a 2016 survey by healthcare comparison site WhatClinic.com, which identified browlifts as Ireland’s quickest-growing cosmetic surgery trend.

The survey revealed that there had been a 440% rise in the number of inquiries about browlift procedures in the previous 12 months, while ‘mini-facelifts’ had seen a 168% increase during the same period.

However, a spokesperson for the HSE noted that plastic surgery procedures are carried out in public hospitals following a clinical diagnosis by a medical consultant, and not merely by request from a patient.

It is not possible to calculate how much of the cost was borne by the HSE under free healthcare schemes, and how much was privately funded or subsequently recouped from health-insurance providers.

‘It is reasonable to say that the HSE would not have paid for all cases of surgery… as the data will include – in any given year – patients who paid privately for plastic or cosmetic procedures,’ said the spokesperson.

‘Procedures paid for by the HSE for public patients relate to plastic, rather than “cosmetic”, surgery.

‘In the case of public patients, procedures of this nature are carried out only for clinical, and not for cosmetic, reasons, and on the basis of a clinical diagnosis by a medical consultant.’

The total of 37 patients who underwent facelift or browlift procedures in public hospitals during 2017 is the highest number in the past nine years.

A total of 264 individuals have availed of the operations since 2009 at a cost to either them, or the State, of €942,254.

Quickest growing surgery trend Highest number in nine years