12 doctors on the everyday dangers they avoid

I’d be surprised if you found a plastic surgeon who said they love chainsaws. That is something you won’t catch me doing. I deal with a lot of hand injury work – if you cut through a tendon or nerve, it is us who will fix that. I once had to reattach someone’s arm that got caught in a bench saw: it took hours. I guess a lot of us do DIY at home, but we would never own anything like that.

Motorcyclists have the worst injuries by a long way, so I would never buy a motorcycle or let my kids ride one. I wouldn’t drink a cup of hot coffee sitting on the sofa cross-legged. If you get burns in your nether regions, they are difficult to treat. I am paranoid about open fires: when the kids were younger, they were practically locked inside if a barbecue was on the go. I don’t think I’d ever get a fire pit.

I wouldn’t have Botox until I was in my late-40s. There are a lot of people having it in their 20s, but there are risks. I wouldn’t let anyone I know have buttock implants. It is too dangerous and having a big bottom might not be fashionable for ever.

I would never take drugs. When I was younger, I used to go to parties and there was cocaine around but I wouldn’t touch it, because I was always so worried about the impact. I see young people coming in having had heart attacks with no other obvious causes.

I have a really sweet tooth but I try to be cautious about that. A lot of people at work call me Dr B. Once another doctor said to me: “Do you realise why you are called Dr B? It’s because you are Dr Biscuit!” Sometimes on a shift you don’t have time for lunch and you just wolf down whatever you can find on the ward.

I often see the fatal impact that stress can have on people. Sometimes people have heart attacks because they are overworked. I try to use my time off properly and don’t work too much in the evenings.