The General Medical Council has come up with guidelines making surgical and non-surgical procedures safer. The council will now discuss the guidelines with doctors and public.

It is being suggested that plastic surgeons should give time to patients to think before they agree to go under knife. Plastic surgeons said that they give their patients a two-week cooling-off period.

Also, medics will be encouraged to discuss honestly about the risks involved in such procedures. They have been suggested to be more careful when dealing with children and youngsters.

Professor Terence Stephenson, GMC chairman, said, “Cosmetic practice is a huge and expanding area of medicine and patients, some of whom are vulnerable, do need to be better protected”.

Stephenson said they are coming up with these guidelines with sole motive of making things safer considering particular risks associated with the area of medicine. One thing on which they all agree is that doctors should not force patients to take decisions without thinking about it properly.

Decision taken in rush may end patients regretting. They also feel that patients should be aware of information, so that they can make informed decision.

The GMC and the Royal College of Surgeons of England and others are working together to publish information about which surgeons are the best to carry out plastic surgery. Through this way, patients will be able to check doctor’s qualifications on the GMC’s medical register. Final guidance is expected to be published in early 2016.