Cosmetic Surgery Consent Form

Key Takeaways

A cosmetic surgery consent form documents patient understanding of the procedure, risks, benefits, and alternatives before surgery.

Essential elements include patient information, detailed procedure description, comprehensive risk disclosure, medical history screening, and signature blocks.

Proper consent forms protect both patients and practitioners by ensuring informed decision-making and legal compliance.

Digital consent management systems streamline the process, improve record-keeping, and enhance the patient experience.

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Cosmetic Surgery Consent Form Template

A comprehensive consent form covering procedure risks, anaesthesia options, photography consent, financial disclosure, and cooling-off periods. Ready to customise for your cosmetic surgery clinic.

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Cosmetic surgery consent forms (also known as plastic surgery consent forms) are essential legal documents that protect both patients and practitioners by ensuring informed decision-making before elective surgical procedures. A properly structured cosmetic surgery consent form documents that the patient understands the procedure, associated risks, expected benefits, and alternative treatment options.

For aesthetic clinics and cosmetic surgery practices, maintaining comprehensive informed consent documentation when opening a cosmetic surgery clinic is not just a legal requirement but a cornerstone of ethical patient care. This guide explains what should be included in a cosmetic surgery consent form, why it matters, and how to implement effective consent processes in your practice.

What Is a Cosmetic Surgery Consent Form?

A cosmetic surgery consent form (sometimes called a plastic surgery consent form or aesthetic surgery consent form) is a legal document that a patient signs before undergoing elective aesthetic surgery. Unlike general surgical consent, cosmetic surgery consent forms must emphasise that the procedure is elective, results vary between individuals, and specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

The form serves multiple purposes. It demonstrates that the patient has been fully informed about the procedure, understands the potential risks and complications, has realistic expectations about the outcome, and voluntarily consents to proceed with surgery.

Informed consent in cosmetic surgery is particularly important because these procedures are elective rather than medically necessary. Patients must understand that they are choosing to undergo surgery for aesthetic reasons and accept the inherent risks involved. In the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) requires that the doctor performing the procedure must personally obtain consent from the patient.

Key Components of a Cosmetic Surgery Consent Form

Patient Information Section

Every cosmetic surgery consent form begins with basic patient identification details: full name, date of birth, contact information, and emergency contact details. This section establishes the legal identity of the person consenting to treatment.

Procedure Description

The form must include a clear description of the specific procedure(s) to be performed. Explain what the surgery involves, how long it typically takes, what type of anaesthesia will be used, and what the patient can expect during recovery.

Rather than simply stating “rhinoplasty”, describe that the surgeon will reshape the nose by modifying bone and cartilage through incisions, typically under general anaesthesia, with recovery involving swelling and bruising for several weeks.

Risk Disclosure and Medical History

Comprehensive Risk Disclosure

This is one of the most critical sections. The consent form must list potential risks and complications, including infection, bleeding, anaesthesia reactions, scarring, nerve damage, asymmetry, revision surgery needs, thrombosis, and delayed healing.

The list should be comprehensive but not so exhaustive that it becomes meaningless. Include both common and serious rare complications. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) provides standardized consent forms with simplified, user-friendly risk disclosure information.

Risk Categorisation Guide

When disclosing risks, it’s helpful to categorise them by frequency to help patients understand the likelihood of each complication:

This approach, aligned with the Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board (2015) UK Supreme Court ruling, ensures patients are informed of all material risks—those that a reasonable person in the patient’s position would consider significant when deciding whether to proceed.

Medical History and Contraindications

Include a screening section where patients disclose relevant medical history: blood clotting disorders, medication use, allergies, active infections, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, scarring history, pregnancy status, weight changes, healing history, and smoking status.

This information helps identify patients at higher risk for complications and allows the surgical team to take appropriate precautions.

Expected Benefits and Alternatives

Clearly state the intended aesthetic improvements while emphasising that individual results vary. Avoid guarantees or promises of specific outcomes.

The form should document that alternative non-surgical or less invasive options have been discussed, such as dermal fillers, neuromodulators, laser treatments, or radiofrequency skin tightening.

Instructions and Financial Terms

Outline key instructions the patient must follow before and after surgery. Pre-operative instructions typically include discontinuing certain medications and fasting requirements. Post-operative instructions cover wound care, activity restrictions, and warning signs requiring immediate attention.

Include a section where the patient acknowledges understanding of costs, payment terms, and financial responsibility.

Patient Acknowledgement and Signatures

The consent section should include multiple acknowledgement statements that the patient initials or checks, confirming they have been fully informed, had questions answered, understand results vary, disclosed complete medical history, and will follow all instructions.

The form must include signature blocks for the patient, date, and practitioner. Consider including a witness signature block as well, particularly for more extensive procedures.

How to Use This Cosmetic Surgery Consent Form

Patient Consultation Process

Present the cosmetic surgery consent form during the consultation appointment, not on the day of surgery. This gives patients adequate time to review the information, research the procedure, and formulate questions.

Walk through each section of the form with the patient. Avoid simply handing them the form to read independently. Explain the procedure in plain language, discuss each listed risk, and encourage questions.

Allowing Time for Decision-Making

Best practice suggests providing the consent form at least one week before the scheduled surgery date. This cooling-off period ensures the patient makes a considered decision rather than feeling pressured.

UK-specific guidance: The GMC and post-Keogh Review recommendations strongly encourage a minimum 7-day cooling-off period between consultation and surgery, particularly for younger patients or those undergoing significant procedures. This allows patients time to reflect and reconsider without pressure.

For significant procedures, consider a two-consultation approach where the first consultation focuses on education and expectation-setting, and the second consultation reviews the consent form in detail.

Documentation and Record-Keeping

Once signed, the cosmetic surgery consent form becomes part of the patient’s permanent medical record. Store it securely in compliance with data protection regulations. Many practices now use digital consent management systems that integrate with electronic health records.

Retention Requirements by Jurisdiction

UK: Consent forms must be retained for at least 7 years after the last treatment, or until the patient turns 25 if they were a minor at the time of treatment (whichever is longer).

US: Retention requirements vary by state but typically range from 5 to 10 years after the last treatment. Some states require longer retention for patients who were minors. Consult with legal counsel in your jurisdiction to ensure compliance.

Revision and Updates

Review and update your consent forms regularly, particularly when:

• New research identifies additional risks
• Surgical techniques change
• Regulatory requirements evolve
• Your clinic’s protocols are modified

Consult with a medical solicitor when making substantial changes to ensure the form remains legally compliant.

Legal Considerations for Cosmetic Surgery Consent

Informed Consent Standards

Informed consent is a legal requirement, not merely a formality. The standard in most jurisdictions requires that a reasonable person would want to know the information before deciding whether to proceed.

Courts typically evaluate whether the patient was informed of material risks (those a reasonable person would consider significant), whether the information was presented in understandable terms, and whether the patient had the capacity to consent. Research published in peer-reviewed medical journals emphasizes that informed consent standards for cosmetic procedures should be more stringent than for medically necessary procedures.

Capacity and Voluntary Consent

The person signing the consent form must have the mental capacity to understand the information and make an informed decision. They must not be under duress, coercion, or undue influence.

For patients under 18, parental or guardian consent is required. However, cosmetic surgery on minors raises additional ethical considerations and many surgeons refuse to perform purely aesthetic procedures on patients under 18.

Photography and Media Consent

Clinical photography for medical records requires consent, which is typically included in the main consent form. However, if you wish to use before-and-after photos for marketing, educational, or social media purposes, you need separate, explicit consent.

Create a distinct “consent for use of clinical photographs” form that specifies exactly how images may be used, whether the patient’s identity will be protected, and whether they can withdraw consent later.

Consent Form Retention

Consent forms are legal documents that must be retained according to medical record retention laws in your jurisdiction. In many countries, this means retaining them for at least seven years after the last treatment, or longer if the patient was a minor.

Digital Consent Management Systems

Benefits of Digital Consent Forms

Digital consent management offers significant advantages over paper forms:

• Patients can review and complete forms before arriving at the clinic
• Electronic signatures are legally valid in most jurisdictions
• Integration with electronic health records eliminates data entry duplication
• Automatic version control ensures patients always receive the current form
• Searchable digital archives make records easier to retrieve
• Reduced paper storage and printing costs

Implementation Considerations

When implementing digital consent forms, ensure your system complies with healthcare data protection regulations. The system should use secure servers, encrypt data in transit and at rest, maintain audit trails showing who accessed records, and allow patients to download copies of their signed forms.

Choose plastic surgery practice management software or aesthetic clinic management software that supports conditional logic, so questions adapt based on previous answers. For example, if a patient indicates they’re taking anticoagulants, the form can automatically prompt for details.

Patient Experience

From the patient’s perspective, digital consent forms should be mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, allow saving progress and returning later, and provide clear instructions throughout.

Send digital consent forms via secure patient portal access rather than unencrypted email. Patients should receive a copy of the completed form immediately after signing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using Generic Surgical Consent Forms

Generic surgical consent forms designed for medically necessary procedures are inadequate for cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery consent forms must emphasise the elective nature of the procedure, realistic expectations, and the possibility of unsatisfactory aesthetic results.

Insufficient Risk Disclosure

Failing to adequately disclose risks is one of the most common sources of litigation in cosmetic surgery. While you need not list every theoretical complication, you must include all material risks that would influence a reasonable person’s decision.

Obtaining Consent Too Close to Surgery

Presenting the consent form on the day of surgery, particularly after the patient has already taken pre-operative medications, can invalidate consent. The patient may not be in a proper mental state to make an informed decision.

Inadequate Documentation of Discussion

The signed consent form alone doesn’t prove that meaningful discussion occurred. Include clinical notes documenting what was discussed, questions the patient asked, and your assessment of their understanding.

Failure to Update Forms

Medical knowledge evolves, surgical techniques improve, and new risks emerge. Using outdated consent forms exposes your practice to liability. Schedule regular reviews of all consent documentation.

Consent Forms for Specific Cosmetic Procedures

While a general cosmetic surgery consent form covers common elements, many practices develop procedure-specific forms for frequently performed surgeries.

Facial Procedures

Consent forms for rhinoplasty, facelifts, blepharoplasty, and brow lifts should address risks specific to facial surgery: asymmetry that may be more noticeable on the face, potential for nerve damage affecting facial expression, visible scarring concerns, and psychological impact of facial changes.

Breast Surgery

Breast augmentation, reduction, and lift procedures require discussion of implant-related risks (if applicable), potential effects on breastfeeding, changes in nipple sensation, asymmetry, and the possibility of additional surgeries in the future.

Body Contouring

Liposuction, abdominoplasty, and body lift consent forms should emphasise that these are not weight-loss procedures, discuss skin quality considerations, address contour irregularities and asymmetry risks, and explain realistic expectations for body shape changes.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

Even non-surgical or minimally invasive cosmetic procedures require consent forms. Injectable treatments like Hydrafacial and Lemon Bottle, laser procedures, and chemical peels carry their own specific risks that must be disclosed.

Training Staff on Consent Procedures

Every member of your clinical team should understand the importance of informed consent and their role in the process. Front desk staff should know when to provide consent forms to patients. Nurses should be trained to answer basic questions but recognise when to defer to the surgeon. Surgeons must personally conduct the detailed consent discussion.

Regular staff training on consent procedures ensures consistency and reduces the risk of inadequate consent practices. Include consent discussions in clinical meetings and use real (anonymised) examples to illustrate best practices.

Consent for Revision Surgery

When a patient requires revision surgery, whether to address complications or improve unsatisfactory results, a new consent process is required. The revision consent form should reference the original procedure, explain why revision is recommended, discuss the specific risks of revision surgery (which may differ from primary surgery), and address financial considerations, particularly if the revision is due to complications rather than patient preference.

Some practices include a clause in the original consent form stating that revision surgeries, if needed, will require separate consent and may incur additional costs.

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