How to find a good cosmetic surgeon None of us would trust an unqualified electrician or car mechanic with our houses or cars, so what makes some of the 65,000 people who are undergoing cosmetic surgery in the UK every year risk their bodies in the hands of bad surgeons? Cases like that of Dr Thomas Norton, recently charged by the General Medical Council of professional misconduct after operating without qualification, have highlighted the dangers of entrusting medical care to an unqualified doctor or a clinic which might not put patients' interests before its profit. There's a lot more riding on cosmetic surgery than just the expense. Many people depend on the operation to boost their self-esteem so when they go wrong it can be a double whammy, affecting body and mind. Most cosmetic surgery involves serious operations that can never be guaranteed to work perfectly. But the chances of them going wrong are much less if your surgeon is qualified, ethical and trustworthy. So if youve finally saved up enough money, sold your car or got a bank loan to pay for that long-awaited operation and you're looking for a surgeon you can depend on, how do you avoid falling into the bad surgeon trap? Here is a guide to finding a good plastic surgeon The General Medical Council's (GMC) specialist plastic surgery register includes the names of all surgeons in the country who have received six years of training in plastic surgery on top of their general training.