UK Plastic Surgeons Denounce Makeovers

• Wednesday May 24, 2006 in: Female Perspectives Tag(s):

  Makeover shows are becoming more and more popular in the United Kingdom, as British television producers churn out their own versions of American television makeover shows. This passion for makeovers is perhaps one of the reasons for the 35% increase in the number of cosmetic surgery procedures done by members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) last year.

  Britain's largest group of plastic surgeons, however, is none too happy about the makeover boom, especially with more clinics offering discounts for multiple procedures. BAAPS, in fact, is warning patients against makeovers .

  The prime target of the BAAPS regarding this issue is Transform Medical Group, which recently offered a "Bikini Body Transformation Package". The package, which includes cellulite treatment, liposuction, and a "mini-tummy tuck", comes at a discounted 6,990-pound price. Another Transform offer that gets the BAAPS' goat is their dangling of a 200-pound voucher for a holiday from the Thomas Cook faraway places brochure for anyone who undergoes surgery in May or June, in time for a "summer body".

  Douglas McGeorge, BAAPS president-elect, voiced concerns that "people will have surgery they wouldn't otherwise have chosen to have themselves''. BAAPS president Adam Searle goes one step further. In a Telegraph.co.uk article, Searle is quoted as saying that:

  "There is a danger attached to having many procedures at once," he said. "Common sense indicates that bigger operations can generate bigger problems. This is not a decision to be reached lightly, and should never be offered without careful, individual consultations, and without the hype."

  I couldn't agree more. Cosmetic surgery is not as easy as going on a vacation, as the Transform offers seem to suggest. As with any type of surgery, cosmetic surgery patients need time to recover from the effects of a particular operation. What more for a patient who undergoes three procedures at one time, as offered in the "Bikini Body Transformation Package"?

  As stated in countless literature about cosmetic surgery, the decision to undergo one is something that is not to be taken lightly. That is why offers that treat it like it's some kind of consumer product that gives people rewards for further consumption is dangerous.