May 11 2000

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Tissue from the dead used for implants

BY MELISSA KITE AND HELEN RUMBELOW

THE use of human tissue in cosmetic surgery implants on breasts and lips was also highlighted in the House of Commons yesterday.

Peter Brand, Liberal Democrat MP for the Isle of Wight, described an "absolutely disgusting" practice in the United States of using tissue from dead bodies for breast and face implants.

In the United States the tissue trade generates about £300 million annually and some American manufacturers are planning to bring their products to Britain.

They receive their raw material from people who have died, which is much easier than in the case of organ donation. Once the heart stops, organ donation is ruled out, but tissue still can be recovered.

Tendons can mend sports injuries, while a gel made of extracts from human skin tissue can fill holes left by tumours.

The donor's relatives, however, often do not realise that their loved one's tissue is also used to augment breasts and iron out wrinkles.

Dr Brand, who fears the practice could spread to Britain, is to raise the matter with ministers. "There is more consumer protection for people buying double-glazing than those having really serious operations," he said.

As a doctor he had regularly seen the results of botched facelifts "where people end up completely without expression.

"I think there is a very serious and fundamental problem with the whole cosmetic surgery industry not being regulated."

The Care Standards Bill, currently before Parliament, will go some way to regulating cosmetic surgeons. It will establish a new care standards commission, oversee the registration and inspection of private clinics and carry out annual checks on all facilities, including unannounced spot checks.

Where necessary the commission will have the power to take enforcement action, including closing a hospital or a clinic if it judges that patients are at risk.