The Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia (CPSA) has issued a warning to consumers to be careful when purchasing discounted cosmetic procedures, including anti-wrinkle injections, Botox, microdermabrasion and IPL/laser sessions from group-buy and coupon websites.
Group-buying and coupon-offering websites have become increasingly popular in the last year. They aim to lure customers in with deals too good to resist, but sometimes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
According to Dr Gabrielle Caswell, President of the CPSA, the promotion of discounted cosmetic procedures via group-buying websites raises a number of serious legal and ethical issues.
“To take advantage of these deals, people are required to pay for a medical procedure prior to a face-to-face consultation, which would determine whether the treatment was appropriate for the individual. These coupons encourage the indiscriminate and potentially unnecessary use of regulated health services and are also time-limited, which contradicts a number of Australian medical guidelines and laws,” says Dr Caswell.
“It is unclear whether these deals allow refunds if, after a consultation, the patient decides not to go ahead with the procedure. If refunds don’t exist, patients may feel pressured to undergo a procedure even though it might not be appropriate for them.”
“Furthermore, these types of offers also encourage impulse purchases, which means people may rush into having a medical treatment. They may also encourage excessive use of such procedures, which is highly unethical.”
The CPSA has also observed a number of advertisers on group-buy websites, breaking the Therapeutic Goods Act (1989) by directly advertising prescription-only medications to consumers.
“The advertising of Schedule 4 or prescription-only medications is regulated by advertising guidelines set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. It’s against these regulations to advertise prescription-only medications such as Botox, by their trade, generic or corrupted names, directly to consumers, but an alarming number of service providers on these sites are continuing to do so,” says Dr Caswell.
Dr Russell Knudsen from the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS) does not agree with this type of marketing either.
“The ACCS Code of Ethics forbids any type of time-limited inducements like this. Indeed, our members are not allowed to offer financing of any type as this is seen as an inducement to have cosmetic procedures. The Australian Medical Council Code of Conduct also says this is unethical so the condemnation is universal for this type of marketing,” says Dr Knudsen.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has also condemned the marketing of serious medical procedures via popular online UK discount websites.
Consultant plastic surgeon Adam Searle, former President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons believes the trivialisation and commoditisation of medical procedures is appalling.
“It seems to have come down to the level of loyalty cards, money-off vouchers, and even competition prizes. This belittling of the seriousness of undertaking a medical procedure degrades not only our specialty but also the medical profession as a whole.“
He added, “Any patient making irreversible decisions in circumstances of hype, excitement and emotion, are putting themselves at very great risk. Any normal patient/doctor relationship is completely abandoned in any such framework of medical care. This is a practice I unreservedly and utterly condemn.”
What’s more, the Good Medical Practice in Cosmetic Surgery by the UK Independent Healthcare authority (IHAS) clearly states: ‘Advertisements must not offer discounts linked to a deadline date for booking appointments or surgery or other date-linked incentives’.
The CPSA has sent written advice to group-buy and coupon websites asking them to cease accepting these advertisements. The CPSA has yet to receive any responses to its letters, which were sent to the coupon companies during April 2011.
In addition to this, the CPSA has also approached the relevant medical boards and consumer watchdogs in an effort to highlight the issue with regulators to help safeguard the public.
Contact: www.cosmeticsphysicians.org.au