Huge clampdown on Turkish clinics luring Brits abroad for cheap plastic surgery as regulator launches blitz to ban adverts flouting strict rules

The advertising watchdog has launched a crackdown on cosmetic surgery firms who lure Britons abroad for risky treatment.

The Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) said ‘too many’ overseas clinics are putting people at risk of harm by promoting their services irresponsibly.

It has started an ‘enhanced monitoring’ blitz to identify and tackle adverts that flout the UK’s strict rules and is demanding offenders ‘get their house in order’.

The action comes amid a rise in patients looking to travel abroad for the likes of liposuction, breast augmentation and ‘Brazilian butt lifts’.

It can be cheaper to go abroad for treatment and some firms seek to entice customers with package deals that include a ‘holiday’ and the procedure.

But the CAP, which writes the UK advertising rules, said many adverts on social media downplay the risks of surgery, exaggerate the benefits and prey of people’s vulnerabilities.

Others appear to pressure people into making rash decisions with time-limited offers.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which enforces the CAP rules, upheld several complaints last year against overseas cosmetic surgery providers who were targeting UK consumers.

It said the offending material featured in paid-for adverts or was promoted by influencers on the like of Instagram and Facebook

The CAP will today issue overseas cosmetic surgery providers with an Enforcement Notice, which sets out the rules and the enforcement action it can take.

The organisation said: ‘We’ve seen an increase in ads targeting UK consumers for these services and, while some are following the rules, we’re also seeing too many examples that are not.

‘Cosmetic surgery is a serious decision and ads should reflect that.

‘While many people travelling abroad for surgery will have a good experience, as with any procedure there’s always a chance that things can go wrong.

‘Botched surgery can lead to significant, life-changing harms and, in worst case scenarios, death.

‘Within our role and remit, we’re committed to ensuring ads for these services are responsible.

‘That’s why we’re sending out this Enforcement Notice, telling clinics to get their houses in order.

‘We won’t hesitate to impose sanctions against ads that break our rules.’

The CAP said adverts must be responsible, not make claims that cannot be backed up with sufficient evidence or use social pressure of times offers to encourage people into getting surgery.

The ASA has banned 13 adverts by overseas cosmetic surgery clinics that were targeting people in the UK.

The ads broke a number of rules, including failing to make potential risks clear; trivialising the decision to undergo surgery; making misleading claims around safety; and making misleading claims about the credentials of doctors.

The Enforcement Notice says firms should avoid placing the focus of their averts on hotel stays, flights or holidays, rather than the surgery itself, as this could have the effect of ‘detracting from the seriousness of any surgery’.

It also warns against promising customers the ‘body you have always dreamed of’ and says all before and after photos should be genuine.

The CAP said it will work with social media firms to remove adverts that breach its rules and report offending firms to regulators in their own country if they fail to comply.

Shahriar Coupal, Secretary of CAP, said: ‘Every year, many people go abroad and have positive experiences undergoing cosmetic surgery. 

‘But as more companies are advertising to UK customers, we’re also seeing more examples of the rules being broken. This needs to stop.

‘We don’t regulate the service these clinics offer, but we do regulate their ads when they target UK consumers.

‘This Enforcement Notice makes it clear to advertisers that they need to ensure their ads are up to scratch.

‘They need to follow our rules, or we’ll impose sanctions to protect audiences from their ads.’

Health minister Maria Caulfield said: ‘All cosmetic procedures carry risks and this is an important step in cracking down on irresponsible adverts aimed at vulnerable people in the UK.

‘The new guidance will help ensure all adverts adhere to our strict advertising rules and clearly sign-post potential risks.

‘I urge anyone considering a medical procedure abroad to research the standards and qualifications that apply in the country they are travelling to before making a decision.’