Call to ban cheap cosmetic surgery offers

A leading group of plastic surgeons is calling for special offers to be banned in the industry.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) says discount promotions are now "rife".

They've told Newsbeat they are concerned it is unethical and puts pressure on people considering it.

This comes as new figures suggest twice as many women are having boob jobs compared to five years ago.

The surgeons who are members of Baaps carried out nearly 10,000 of these operations in the last year, compared to 5,500 in 2005.

The group only makes up 40% of surgeons carrying out cosmetic procedures in the UK, so in reality the total number will be higher than that.

Amber, who is 25 and from Manchester, had an operation for breast implants last summer.

She told Newsbeat about a special offer she went for.

She said: "I went online and saw this company were offering £200 off if you had the operation as a day case rather than staying overnight and if I agreed to have it done within four weeks."

Amber had it done because her breasts were different sizes. She was a B/C cup and is now a DD.

"I hated myself," she admitted. "They just weren't attractive at all. I'd been with my boyfriend for five years and I would never take my top off in front of him."

Fourth free

Doctor Nigel Mercer from Baaps says offers like those are wrong because they put pressure on people to go ahead and have a procedure without thinking it through properly.

He says money should never be used to encourage anyone and that if an operation was to go wrong it could ruin your life.

Amber from Manchester says she feels better after having a boob job

He said: "We are really concerned about this. The classic is, 'Sign up now, save hundreds of pounds'.

"Another is, 'Have three procedures get your fourth free'. Don't be driven by the deal.

"You must make sure you do your research and really think about the risks before you sign on that dotted line."

Amber says she had made up her mind to have the operation regardless of any offers, although she admits she did end up doing it sooner because of it.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with these deals," she said. "I never felt pressured and my results were perfect. This was holding me back in life, now I have total confidence."

Dr Nigel Mercer says the deals are now rife.

It is legal, but companies must comply with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) code.

Cooling off period

The ASA says any adverts must be done in a socially responsible way.

They are not supposed to contain anything misleading, harmful or offensive.

Shami Thomas is the PR manager for Transform Cosmetic Surgery where Amber had her implants.

Cosmetic surgery nurse explains the different varieties of implants

She claims all patients have a consultation with their surgeon first and a cooling off period to think it through.

She says they advertise deals on their website and by emailing former patients.

"Some of these operations cost several thousand pounds. A £150 holiday voucher will not make anyone have that surgery if they don't need it.

"The question is, who are they going to choose to have that surgery with?"

Amber has now benefited from their "recommend a friend" offer too.

Two of her friends have had boob jobs with the company and in return Amber has received cash and vouchers for non surgical skin treatments.

The Department of Health says people are free to have the cosmetic surgery they choose.

They say they strongly advise anyone considering it to do their own thorough research.

Baaps says all good specialist plastic surgeons are registered with the General Medical Council.