Plastic Surgery Prize Draw... Are You Kidding Me?!

My Big Fat Surgery Prize advocate and promoter Sarah says: “It’s going to be scandalous” and she wasn’t wrong. The controversial event has stirred a whole host of negative press attention with BAAPS labelling the event “deluded” and “deprived”. 

This belittling of the industry, blatant flaunting of the Code of Ethics and lax enforcement by those within the industry, has culminated in BAAPS’ plea for regulation to limit the exposure of these unscrupulous tactics to the public. In a statement issued last week, BAAPS announced:

“Government ‘deluded’ to believe in self-regulation – call for a ban on surgery lotteries“

According to consultant plastic surgeon and President of the BAAPS Fazel Fatah;

“We are now seeing a new level of insanity and depravity in the way certain cosmetic surgery providers market and promote their services: life-changing, serious surgical procedures being raffled in an alcohol-fuelled evening extravaganza. The Government is deluded if they think that the commercial sector will exercise self-regulation and abide by any voluntary code of conduct of advertising and promoting surgical procedures to trusting patients. Patients who seek cosmetic surgery are among the most vulnerable group of patients in society and they need to be protected from the greed of commercial advocates. I call upon the Government to ban all advertising of cosmetic surgery and prohibit inducements and offers of any kind of surgery as a lottery prize. I also call on the Care Quality Commission to review licensing of such facilities that are clearly abusing the trust of their patients by trivialising serious medical treatments that include life-changing, major invasive surgery. The General Medical Council should step in to protect patients and make it clear that they will review the license of any surgeon who becomes a party to this abuse of trust by accepting to operate on patients who win such prizes or are recruited with the inducement of cut price surgery or limited offers.”

According to Adam Searle, former President of the BAAPS;

“The offer of a cosmetic surgery procedure as a prize is an awful manifestation of the trivialisation of medical care in general and aesthetic surgery in particular. Any patient making irreversible decisions in circumstances of hype, excitement and emotion, are putting themselves at very great risk.”

Beryl Atkins, director of Transpire Surgery, defended the event and said the winner would need to pass a strict screening process before undergoing any surgery:

'The surgery will not occur until the person has a full consultation directly with the surgeon,' she said. 'They will also not be put forward unless they pass pre-anaesthetic screening to say they are fit and healthy for the surgery.' Ms Atkins said the company would not be chasing the winner to come in for surgery, and they were free to decide against any procedure. 'It will be up to that person to contact us,' she added. 'This is not something we are doing on a whim.' 

This latest sensationalised attempt to grab those few precious minutes in the media spotlight is becoming quite the phenomenon. I hope these outlandish displays of sensationalism will lead to the implementation and enforcement of stricter regulation by governing bodies. 

The promotional material for this bizarre event asks “what are you waiting for!!!!” I’m going to assume this is rhetorical......

Update:

Lesley Towle, 31, is said to have whooped for joy as she won the £4,000 draw. The brunette from Cambridgeshire leapt onto the stage to collect her prize and told the cheering crowd she was going to have a boob job. Clutching a bottle of bubbly, she crowed: “I just can’t believe it – I’m overwhelmed.” 

An 18-year-old boy in the crowd said: “She’s so lucky. “I’d have had my ears done or maybe more Botox – I’ve already had it done once. “In fact scrap that, I want everything done. Everything.”

As the drinks flowed a team of girls with clipboards urged people to sign up for the prize draw and asked people what sort of surgery they’d like. A 21-year-old blonde told them: “I’d have liposuction.” Another girl pointed to non-existent lines on her forehead and said: “Definitely Botox.”

A 22-year-old Essex man won the runner-up prize of a full-face Botox treatment, which he offered it to his girlfriend. But when Sarah asked her how she felt about it, she said: “A little offended, actually” – and was briskly escorted off the stage.