Baaps concern over glamorised aesthetic procedures

 

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) has expressed concern that some reality television programmes glamorise cosmetic surgery and aesthetic procedures.

Speaking to the BBC, Rajiv Grover, president at Baaps, said: “People are forgetting it’s a medical operation.”

One TV show particularly in the spotlight is The Only Way is Essex. The programme producers have acknowledged in a statement that cosmetic procedures do feature, but that they “don’t try to glamorise surgery.”

“The show has indeed on occasion highlighted some dangers such as documenting Lauren Pope’s discovery that she had the PIP implants and required extra surgery”.

In response, Pope commented: “I’d say 90% of stuff we do on the show we talk about in a light-hearted way. So maybe that would give off the wrong impression, but it’s either that or we don’t talk about it and people have to be really secretive about it.”

The Baaps statement follows the call it made earlier this year for cosmetic surgery adverts aimed at under-18s to be banned in the UK.

As part of the Department of Health review into regulations surrounding cosmetic surgery, the association sent twelve recommendations to the Committee of Advertising Practice.

While Baaps said it would prefer a complete ban on cosmetic surgery advertisements, these recommendations formed the “bare minimum” needed.