Finding great deals on clothes, furniture, holidays and even cars, can bring about the impulse buying mode in all of us. It’s hard to walk away on a good saving and we just love a bargain, right?

When it comes to cosmetic surgery and going under the knife for enhancement or reconstruction surgery we should question if it is ethical to be faced with marketing hype, money off vouchers, buy it now and two for one offers.

Cosmetic surgery should be considered a life changing event and your health and well-being should be placed at the very top of the list with both yourself and the consultant that you meet with. Unfortunately the fight for new custom in the cosmetic surgery industry has led to stiffer marketing methods and a stronger than ever focus on sales.

On 19 Jan 2010 the BBC One show questioned the ethics behind some UK Cosmetic surgery companies. Working undercover the reporters went into some cosmetic surgery companies, they enquired about surgery and their options and also interviewed a potential patient to see exactly what was being offered and how the procedures were being sold.

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Over the past week several newspapers have reported the lack of regulation in some areas of the cosmetic surgery industry.

The president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons Nigel Mercer had voiced his views as part of a series of medical articles on cosmetic surgery. Mr Mercer has said there is a need for tighter regulation and testing of drugs, procedures and implants to offer more protection to patients.

Stiff marketing, cost cutting and increasing media hype have created a worrying cocktail that threatens both patients and practitioners. There is a bigger need than ever before to ensure surgery is to be carried out by an experienced and accredited surgeon and with a reputable and ethical cosmetic surgery company.
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It’s clear that the increasing popularity of cosmetic surgery isn’t restricted to women, with more men choosing to enhance their appearance with surgical procedures than ever before.

Last week, I wrote about a surprising study conducted in the UK that revealed that men are now more likely to consider cosmetic surgery procedures than women, with 46.2 per cent of British male respondents expressing interest in cosmetic treatments compared to 45.5 per cent of women. » Read in full

Surgeons in the UK have reported a significant increase in the number of patients reporting complications arising from cheap cosmetic surgery procedures carried out by unethical clinics abroad. This frightening trend has caused the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) to raise awareness of the dangers involved in seeking cheap treatments overseas.
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The media tends to be no help when it comes to lampooning celebrities who undergo cosmetic surgery treatments, as if it’s something to be ashamed of that should mean it’s okay to single them out for criticism.

While I just don’t understand what the problem so much of the media has with plastic surgery patients – though I suspect it has as much to do with shifting papers as anything else – it’s a shame that the thought of what their peers might thing is something that puts so many people off undergoing surgical procedures.

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