One of Britain's first female plastic surgeons. Born in Bathgate (West Lothian), the grand-daughter of a Provost of the town and her maternal grandfather was oil-engineer James Bryson (1853 - 1930). She was educated at Bathgate Academy and St Hilda's School, in Edinburgh. She was not allowed by her father to pursue her interests in medicine and instead attended Edinburgh College of Domestic Science. Later she was enroll in the University of Edinburgh to read medicine. She soon gained an interest in plastic surgery, taking a particular interest in the effect of nutrition on the recovery of patients suffering from burns. She spent her career working between Bangour Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1963 and served as the first female President of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons.
She undertook various courses in her retirement purely for interest, but it came as a complete surprise when she found she had gained a degree from the Open University, at the age of 82.