How to Avoid the Cosmetic Cowboys? Committing to cosmetic surgery is a serious undertaking and certainly shouldn’t be rushed into, however there are a large number of clinics engaging in unethical marketing techniques.
According to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), patients are being sold to by salespeople and rushed into making a decision.
Medical students Sohaib Rufai and Chris Davis conducted a study of the top 50 providers of cosmetic surgery (as listed by Google) and found:
14% of consultations do not take place with the operating surgeon but with a sales consultant instead. Only three in five practices stipulated the recommended two-week cooling-off period. 52% offered promotional deals – 27% of which were time-limited.
The research found non-compliant providers, going against industry guidelines, were typically chain companies rather than independent individuals or small group practices.