Cosmetic surgery clinics are still offering perks - such as chauffeurs and package deals - despite Government recommendations they should be banned.
More than half of the top 50 aesthetic plastic surgery providers still advertise promotional deals often tied in with freebies, photo shoots, competitions or holiday destinations.
The research, published at the annual meeting of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) in London, found that many deals were also time-linked, with statements such as ‘book by Friday’.
Cosmetic surgery clinics are still offering perks, such as chauffeurs and package deals, despite Government recommendations they should be banned
Not one provider gave patients the recommended two-stage written consent cooling-off period.
A separate study looking into non-surgical treatments such as wrinkle-relaxing injections and dermal fillers, found 58 per cent of the top 50 providers were offering incentives.
Some 32 per cent did not say who actually administered the treatments and more than a quarter made no mention of qualifications.
Sites where these facial procedures could take place included shopping centres, gyms and parties at home.
Some 32 per cent of non-surgical treatment providers do not say who administers the treatments and more than a quarter make no mention of qualifications
Only 22 per cent of the procedures were offered in facilities registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In April, a report from NHS medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, following the PIP breast implant scandal, warned that advertising practices in the industry were highly misleading.
It said time-limited deals, financial inducements, package deals, and reduced prices for referring a friend were ‘socially irresponsible’ and should be banned by professional codes of practice.
BAAPS president Rajiv Grover said: ‘This new, yet sadly unsurprising, evidence shows that despite the recommendations of Sir Bruce Keogh's review, the most popular providers continue to advertise financial inducements and “luxury” incentives, clearly reinforcing the preposterous notion that surgery is part of a celebrity-style status symbol involving photo shoots and chauffeur services.
‘There is nothing glamorous about surgery and these serious (and irreversible) procedures should not be sold alongside aspirational perks as if they were part of a jet-setting lifestyle.’
A new Government-endorsed National Institute of Aesthetic Research (NIAR) has been set up by BAAPS and the Healing Foundation to establish scientific evidence on aesthetic procedures.
Sir Bruce Keogh said: ‘I welcome the announcement from the Healing Foundation and BAAPS on the launch of the NIAR.
‘This joint initiative is the first recommendation of my review to be implemented and I know it will provide a major contribution to patient safety.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2433109/How-cosmetic-surgery-clinics-STILL-offering-cut-price-deals-perks.html#ixzz2gh1piBii
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
