A study by the Medical Defence Union, Britain’s biggest provider of indemnity and insurance to doctors, shows that it has paid out just under £8.5 million in compensation and legal costs since 1996.

The union — the first to publish settlement details — represents a little over half the medical workforce. Two thirds of the 250 cosmetic surgery negligence claims it settled in that time related to breast and facial surgery. Liposuction and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) were also involved.

Settlements varied from £200 to £305,000. Only about 30 per cent of actions were pursued successfully, the rest being discontinued for lack of a case to answer. With many claims taking up to four years to settle, the annual compensation payout is expected to rise sharply.

The number having cosmetic surgery rose by more than a third last year, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons said. Its members carried out 22,041 procedures, of which 89 per cent were on women.

The number of men seeking surgical enhancement rose from 1,348 to 2,440 procedures.

The most popular operation among women was breast enlargement, while nose jobs were most sought after by men. Anti-ageing procedures such as facelifts, eyelid surgery and brow lifts all rose significantly. Liposuction procedures to get rid of unwanted fat increased by almost 25 per cent to 1,436.

The analysis of claims from cosmetic surgeons’ independent practice, carried out by the MDU, are published this week in Hospital Doctor magazine.

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