Legislation concerning cosmetic surgery in France is very precise. Cosmetic surgery is a medical procedure in its own right, initiated during the one-to-one consultation between the patient and the surgeon, formalised by signing the quotation and confirmed by the informed consent form (information sheet). The surgeon often needs to involve several colleagues (anaesthetist, etc.): it is a team effort that entails investment and therefore costs. For full transparency for patients, the legislator, by an Order dated 17 October 1996, made the quotation mandatory. An initial information consultation is mandatory, to be followed by a cooling-off period (a minimum of fifteen days) before any procedure. A second consultation is mandatory so that the patient can give consent to any potential procedure. Under current legislation, as confirmed by the circular of 23 December 2005, cosmetic surgery may only be performed by a competent, qualified plastic surgeon, specifically trained in these techniques and practising in a genuinely surgical setting within a specifically accredited facility (by the HAS). • Various pieces of legislation governing cosmetic surgery can be downloaded from www.legifrance.gouv.fr: ◦ Law no. 20002-303 of 4 March 2002 on patients’ rights and the quality of the healthcare system: regulation of the practice of cosmetic surgery in accredited facilities ◦ Implementing Decree no. 2005-776 of 11 July 2005 for the above-mentioned law ◦ Circular no. DGS/SD2B/DHOS/04/2005-576 of 23 December 2005 clarifying the above decree.
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