In the UK, a group of leading plastic surgeons is calling for a ban on advertisements for plastic surgery. The British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has proposed the ban as part of larger proposal for tighter industry regulations. They say that all ads for cosmetic surgical procedures such as breast augmentation and nose jobs should be disallowed.

According to the Guardian, the group has long been concerned about the standards at the UK's private cosmetic surgery clinics, many of which advertise in tabloids and women's magazines. The organization's president, Fazel Fatah, explains “Over the last decade the BAAPS has worked tirelessly to educate the public on the many aggressive marketing gimmicks that not only trivialize surgery but endanger the patient.”

They say that such advertisements set patients up for unrealistic expectations by glossing over the risks and possible complications of surgery. Advertisements for cosmetic procedures could also cause people to undergo surgery without thinking carefully about their decision by prompting them to act quickly. “In no other area of surgery would one encounter Christmas vouchers and two-for-one offers” notes Fatah.

What do you think? Should plastic surgeons be allowed to advertise the procedures they offer, or are such ads doing more harm than good?

Source: http://www.nosejob.org/news/surgery/leading-surgeons-demand-ban-advertising-cosmetic-surgery