The Medical Council has warned the public about the dangers of attending cosmetic surgery clinics that do not have recognised surgeons in residence.
The warning comes after a woman, who sought treatment for a post-operative infection, found that her surgeon had returned to mainland Europe.
The surgeon involved was yesterday found guilty of professional misconduct by the Medical Council as a result of failing to provide continuity of care for his patient.
Neither the surgeon nor the clinic where he practised will be named until the High Court confirms the finding.
He has been "censured", which is the equivalent of giving him "a yellow card", but he has not been struck off the medical register.
Council president Dr Patrick Hillery said the woman contracted "quite a serious infection" in an abdominal wound after the operation.
When she contacted the clinic about the post-operative complication, the only person to provide her with aftercare was an administrator, which was totally unsatisfactory, he said.
Dr Hillery added that doctors were flying in and out of the State to provide cosmetic surgery and while they are required to be registered with the Medical Council, he was worried about the level of aftercare this allowed patients.
Furthermore, he said he was concerned about the lax procedures that apply to opening cosmetic surgery clinics, arguing they should be licensed and subject to inspections.
Dr Hillery will meet the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney, in the coming weeks to discuss the matter.
The Medical Council has received about a dozen letters of complaint from patients in the past year about treatment received at cosmetic surgery clinics.
There was, Dr Hillery said, "dangerous stuff going on".
Yesterday's finding of professional misconduct was the second such finding by the council in relation to a foreign doctor who travelled to Ireland to provide cosmetic surgery.
In a previous case, Dr Alan Kingdon, who is based in Britain, was found guilty of professional misconduct and had conditions attached to his practice.
This was as a result of publishing brochures advertising his practice in a way which made "claims for extraordinary outcomes beyond the norm" about the treatment he provided.
Dr Hillery said the doctor censured yesterday had said he would no longer be involved in "this type of set up".
"But the trouble is, the systems are still there getting doctors to come in, and they get paid a reasonable amount of money to do these things, so it's bigger than the Medical Council can deal with. It's the downside of freedom of movement.
"There needs to be some kind of oversight of these clinics and the public need to be aware that they are taking risks when they go to these clinics," he added.
Dr Colm Quigley, vice-president of the council, advised would-be patients to ensure they will be provided with adequate follow-up care.