Last updated: 30 September 2026
1. Purpose of this policy
OWN YR LOOK (“OYL”) operates a directory intended to help women identify appropriately qualified specialist plastic surgeons.
This policy explains:
● what OYL means when it describes a surgeon as “verified”;
● which checks we carry out;
● where our information comes from;
● the limitations of those checks;
● how frequently information is reviewed; and
● how patients, professionals and members of the public can report concerns or inaccuracies.
OYL is operated by Annabelle Baugh, a sole trader trading as Own YR Look.
2. What “verified” means
When OYL describes a surgeon as “verified”, it means that we found evidence that the surgeon met OYL’s published directory criteria on the date the checks were completed.
Verification is based on specified, objective information available from official registers, recognised professional organisations and supporting information provided by the surgeon.
Verification does not mean that OYL has personally assessed the surgeon’s clinical ability or guarantees their suitability for an individual patient.
It is a snapshot of the information available at the time of review—not a continuing guarantee of a surgeon’s registration, professional status, conduct, facilities, treatment or future performance.
3. OYL’s directory criteria
To be eligible for an OYL directory profile, a surgeon must normally:
● hold a current licence or registration with the statutory medical regulator in the country where they practise;
● be recognised as a specialist in plastic surgery where the country operates an applicable specialist register or recognised equivalent;
● hold current membership of a recognised national or international professional association for plastic surgery, where required by OYL’s country-specific criteria;
● practise within the professional scope permitted by the relevant regulator;
● provide evidence of their identity, qualifications and principal place or places of practice;
● declare that surgical procedures are performed in appropriately registered, licensed or accredited facilities;
● agree to keep their OYL profile accurate;
● notify OYL of material changes to their professional or regulatory status; and
● agree to OYL’s membership standards and applicable terms.
The evidence available and terminology used differ between countries. OYL therefore applies country-specific checks rather than assuming that every jurisdiction has the same registration or specialist-recognition system as the UK.
4. Checks performed by OYL
Depending on the surgeon’s country of practice and the information available, OYL checks some or all of the following:
Identity and professional details
We compare the surgeon’s professional name, qualifications, registration number and practice information with available official or professional sources.
Medical registration
We check whether the surgeon appears on the relevant statutory medical register and whether the register indicates that they currently hold the licence or registration required to practise.
Specialist recognition
Where an official specialist register exists, we check whether the surgeon is recognised in plastic surgery or the applicable equivalent specialty.
Registration as a doctor does not automatically mean that a person is a specialist plastic surgeon. OYL treats general medical registration and specialist recognition as separate checks.
Professional-association membership
As required by OYL’s criteria, we check current membership against the directory or records of a recognised plastic-surgery association.
Membership of a professional association is additional evidence of professional standing, but it is not a substitute for statutory registration and does not guarantee treatment quality or outcomes.
Publicly available restrictions and findings
We review the relevant official register for publicly displayed:
● conditions or restrictions on practice;
● suspension or removal;
● expired or lapsed registration;
● published disciplinary findings; and
● other regulatory information relevant to directory eligibility.
OYL does not treat an allegation or unresolved investigation as proof of wrongdoing.
Practice and facility information
We record the clinics, hospitals or facilities identified by the surgeon.
Where a suitable public register exists and it is reasonably practicable, OYL checks whether a named facility appears on the relevant official register. In other cases, facility information may be based on the surgeon’s declaration.
Unless expressly stated on a profile, OYL has not visited, inspected or clinically audited the facility.
Profile content
We review profile content for obvious inconsistencies and may request evidence supporting qualifications, memberships, awards, procedure experience, images or other objective claims.
This review does not amount to an independent clinical assessment of the surgeon’s skill or results.
5. Sources and registers checked
Depending on the surgeon’s country of practice, OYL may use:
● statutory national or regional medical registers;
● official specialist registers;
● recognised plastic-surgery association directories;
● government or statutory registers of hospitals, clinics and healthcare facilities;
● official disciplinary decisions or regulatory notices;
● information published by recognised accreditation bodies;
● evidence and documents supplied directly by the surgeon; and
● other reliable public sources where additional clarification is needed.
Relevant sources may include, for example, the General Medical Council and specialist register in the UK, or the equivalent regulator and specialist-recognition system in another country.
Where practical, an OYL profile or country guide will provide links to the official registers users can check independently.
6. Information supplied by surgeons
Some profile information is supplied directly by the surgeon or their authorised representative. This may include:
● biography and professional interests;
● qualifications not fully displayed on a public register;
● years of experience;
● procedures performed;
● clinic and hospital affiliations;
● professional photographs;
● patient images;
● testimonials;
● languages spoken;
● consultation arrangements; and
● contact information.
Surgeons are responsible for ensuring that information they supply is accurate, current, lawful and not misleading.
Information supplied by a surgeon is not necessarily independently verified merely because it appears on an OYL profile. Where appropriate, OYL may label information as “supplied by the surgeon” or explain the source of a particular claim.
OYL may request supporting evidence, edit content for accuracy or clarity, decline to publish a claim, or remove information that cannot be adequately substantiated.
7. What OYL does not check
Unless a profile expressly states otherwise, OYL does not:
● personally assess or observe a surgeon’s clinical competence;
● inspect operating theatres, clinics or hospitals;
● audit medical records, consent procedures or complication rates;
● verify every procedure a surgeon claims to perform;
● investigate every patient complaint or online review;
● obtain confidential regulatory or employment information;
● conduct criminal-record, financial or litigation searches in every jurisdiction;
● confirm every element of a surgeon’s insurance or professional indemnity;
● continuously monitor every register, clinic or professional activity;
● compare surgeons to decide who is “best”;
● recommend a surgeon for an individual patient;
● determine whether surgery is clinically or psychologically appropriate; or
● guarantee treatment, aftercare, safety or results.
Public registers may not display every complaint, pending investigation, settlement, concern or historic matter. The absence of a published sanction does not prove that no complaint or concern has ever existed.
8. Expertise and ethics
OYL may verify objective indicators connected with professional expertise, including specialist registration, recognised qualifications, association membership and documented professional experience.
OYL does not claim to have independently tested a surgeon’s practical ability or to have proved that a surgeon is more skilled than another suitably qualified professional.
OYL’s membership standards describe the conduct expected of directory members. Agreement to those standards is a commitment by the surgeon; it is not proof that OYL has independently verified every aspect of the surgeon’s ethics, behaviour or clinical practice.
References to surgeons being “carefully assessed for expertise and ethics” should therefore be understood as assessment against OYL’s published credential and membership requirements, not as a guarantee of character, conduct, treatment quality or future behaviour.
9. Verification dates and rechecking
Each surgeon’s profile should display the date on which their professional status was most recently checked.
OYL aims to conduct a formal recheck of active directory profiles at least once every 3 months. We may check a profile sooner if:
● the surgeon reports a material change;
● a user submits credible information;
● an official regulator or professional body publishes relevant information;
● registration or membership appears to have expired;
● OYL becomes aware of a significant complaint, sanction or investigation; or
● the profile requires correction or renewal.
Rechecking a profile every 3 months does not amount to continuous monitoring. A surgeon’s circumstances may change between scheduled reviews.
Users should always perform their own current checks through the relevant official registers before arranging treatment.
10. Surgeons’ duty to report changes
Directory members must inform OYL promptly if there is a material change affecting their eligibility or profile.
This includes:
● registration becoming restricted, suspended, expired or withdrawn;
● removal from, or lapse of, a specialist register;
● loss, suspension or material change of professional-association membership;
● regulatory conditions, sanctions or relevant disciplinary findings;
● a material change in country or scope of practice;
● loss of required insurance or professional indemnity;
● a change affecting the registration or accreditation of a named facility;
● a relevant criminal conviction or legal restriction;
● inaccurate or outdated profile information; or
● any other development that may make the profile materially misleading.
Failure to disclose a relevant change may result in the profile being amended, suspended or removed.
11. Expired registrations, restrictions and sanctions
If OYL identifies an expired registration, restriction, suspension, sanction or other material change, we will consider:
● the official status and wording of the information;
● whether it affects the surgeon’s legal ability to practise;
● whether it affects OYL’s eligibility criteria;
● the seriousness and relevance of the matter;
● whether the information may be incomplete or subject to appeal; and
● what action is necessary to protect users and maintain an accurate directory.
Depending on the circumstances, OYL may:
● contact the surgeon for clarification or evidence;
● correct or update the profile;
● add a factual status notice;
● temporarily suspend the profile while checks are completed;
● remove the profile;
● withdraw permission to use OYL membership or ambassador branding; or
● take no action where the information does not affect eligibility and publication would be unfair or misleading.
OYL may suspend a profile while reviewing a serious concern. Temporary suspension is a precautionary measure and does not necessarily represent a finding of wrongdoing.
Where appropriate and lawful, OYL will give the surgeon a reasonable opportunity to respond before publishing material criticism or making a final decision.
12. Investigations and allegations
An investigation, complaint, media report or allegation does not by itself establish that a surgeon has acted improperly.
OYL will consider the reliability of the source, the status of any official proceedings, the seriousness of the concern, patient-safety implications and fairness to the surgeon.
OYL may decide to await an official outcome, seek further evidence, add carefully qualified information, temporarily suspend a profile or take another proportionate step.
We will aim to distinguish clearly between:
● an allegation;
● an ongoing investigation;
● an interim restriction;
● a formal finding;
● a sanction;
● an appeal; and
● a concluded or overturned decision.
13. Paid profile enhancements
Eligibility and verification cannot be bought.
A surgeon must meet OYL’s core directory criteria whether they have a free profile or purchase optional enhancements.
Payment for an enhanced profile does not:
● provide a higher verification status;
● prove greater clinical skill;
● influence whether a surgeon meets the eligibility criteria;
● prevent OYL from investigating a concern;
● prevent suspension or removal; or
● amount to a personal recommendation by OYL.
Where payment affects the prominence, format or positioning of a profile, the commercial nature of that feature will be disclosed in accordance with OYL’s Advertising and Affiliate Disclosure Policy.
14. Your responsibility when choosing a surgeon
An OYL listing should be a starting point, not the sole basis for choosing a surgeon.
Before proceeding, users should independently confirm:
● current medical registration and specialist status;
● relevant qualifications and procedure experience;
● current professional-association membership;
● whether any restrictions apply;
● clinic or hospital registration and accreditation;
● insurance or professional-indemnity arrangements;
● emergency, complication and aftercare provisions;
● consent and cooling-off processes;
● revision arrangements and potential additional costs; and
● the legal protections available in the country where surgery will take place.
You should have a proper consultation, ask questions and seek independent medical advice where appropriate.
OYL does not diagnose, recommend treatment or guarantee outcomes.
15. Reporting inaccurate information or concerns
Anyone can report a possible factual error, expired registration, regulatory change or other material concern.
Please email annabelle@ownyrlook.com with the subject line Directory accuracy concern and include:
● the surgeon’s name;
● the relevant OYL profile URL;
● the information you believe is inaccurate or outdated;
● an explanation of the concern;
● links to relevant official records; and
● any supporting evidence you are lawfully entitled to provide.
Please do not send unnecessary medical records or another person’s confidential information.
OYL will assess reports under its Complaints and Corrections Policy. We may contact the surgeon, check official sources, request further information or refer the reporter to an appropriate regulator.
Submitting a report does not guarantee that a profile will be changed or removed. OYL will consider the available evidence, fairness, accuracy and applicable law.
16. No continuing guarantee
OYL verification confirms only that the published criteria appeared to be satisfied when the stated checks were completed.
It is not a promise that:
● the information will remain unchanged;
● the surgeon will continue to meet the criteria;
● no new complaint, investigation or sanction will arise;
● a public register is complete;
● a particular surgeon is suitable for you; or
● treatment will produce a particular result.
Always check the profile’s “last verified” date and confirm current information through official sources before making a decision.
17. Corrections and updates
OYL may correct, clarify, annotate, suspend or remove directory information when appropriate.
Where a material factual correction is made, OYL may add a correction or update note if this is necessary for transparency. Minor spelling, formatting or contact-detail updates may be made without a separate notice.
Historical inclusion in the directory does not mean that a surgeon continues to meet OYL’s criteria.
18. Contact OYL
Questions about OYL’s verification process or reports of inaccurate directory information can be sent to:
OWN YR LOOK Operated by: Annabelle Baugh, sole trader Email: annabelle@ownyrlook.com