Post by Bozur on Sept 20, 2008 21:22:37 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Ban unfeasibly large breasts from ads[/glow], say plastic surgeons
independent.co.uk — Models with "anatomically impossible" breasts are being used to seduce female clients to undergo cosmetic surgery that creates "unrealistic expectations", senior plastic surgeons said yesterday. More… (Health)
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Ban unfeasibly large breasts from adverts, say plastic surgeons
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Friday, 19 September 2008
An advert for West One Clinics, which the plastic surgeons say gives a false impression of what surgery can achieve
An advert for West One Clinics, which the plastic surgeons say gives a false impression of what surgery can achieve
Models with "anatomically impossible" breasts are being used to seduce female clients to undergo cosmetic surgery that creates "unrealistic expectations", senior plastic surgeons said yesterday.
Turning their fire on parts of their trade, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said digitally enhanced pictures of bikini-clad women in ecstatic poses should be banned in advertisements.
Promoting "lunch-time face-lifts," which could not be carried out in the time, and financial discounts worth up to £250 to reward clients who signed up quickly should also be outlawed, the association said.
The association represents around a third of cosmetic surgeons in the UK but has no powers to regulate the multimillion pound industry, which is growing rapidly. Yesterday, at its annual conference in Chester, it launched its own advertising campaign to counter the hard-sell approach of some clinics and warn patients to check their surgeon is qualified.
Douglas McGeorge, the president of the association and a consultant plastic surgeon, said: "BAAPS has been increasingly concerned about the standard and style of today's cosmetic surgery advertising. Surgery is a serious undertaking which requires realistic expectations and should only proceed after proper consultation with a properly qualified clinician in an appropriate clinical setting."
Referring to an ad for the West One Cosmetic Clinic in London, featuring a woman in a bikini, Mr McGeorge said: "This lady's bottom appears very slim to her top. But if you look closely it is abnormal. It gives a completely false presentation of what can be done and sets unrealistic expectations. If a woman with that figure had that body we know she would have to engage in years of correctional surgery."
He added: "It would be lovely to have a lunchtime facelift. But it simply does not exist." The association had complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about some of the advertisements, but by then the damage had been done, he said.
A study of breast augmentation procedures carried out by BAAPS found they had risen almost four-fold in the past five years to more than 26,000 in 2007, but complications were lower than the European average.
There was particular concern about teenage girls being "seduced" into making quick decisions about surgery. The ads highlighted yesterday were collected from magazines which predominantly target a young female audience.
The association also warned of the danger to patients who travel abroad for cheap treatment on package deals. Nigel Mercer, president-elect of the association, said he has been performing corrective surgery on a patient who paid £650 for a breast implant operation in Thailand – the price included flights and accommodation. Another patient arrived at his clinic following a "disastrous" facelift in a developing country. The skin had been pulled so tight around her face there was nothing that could be done. He said: "Sometime soon somebody will die after going on a surgery safari."
A spokeswoman for West One Clinics which advertised the "lunchtime facelift" and used the picture which BAAPS claimed was "anatomically impossible", said: "We take cosmetic surgery very seriously and we are open to criticism.
"If anybody has a criticism about our advertising then we would take that very seriously."
www.independent.co.uk/