news D
espite Sir Bruce Keogh’s UK review into cosmetic surgery concluding — 5 months ago — that time-linked incentives, group deals and
other inducements in the sector should be banned, new studies unveiled at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (
www.baaps.
org.uk) demonstrate that this type of marketing continues to flourish unabated. One study presented at the Meeting
revealed that more than half (52%) of the highest Google-ranking aesthetic plastic surgery providers still offer promotional deals, often tied with luxury-themed ‘perks’ such as chauffeurs, free photo shoots and holiday destinations. Of these, almost two in five (37%) were
time-linked (i.e. ‘book by Friday’). Not one provided the recommended two-stage written consent ‘cooling off’ process recommended by the Cosmetic Surgical Practice Working Party. 'This new, yet sadly unsurprising, evidence
shows that despite the recommendations of Sir Bruce Keogh’s review, the most popular
providers continue to advertise financial inducements and ‘luxury’ incentives, clearly reinforcing the preposterous notion that surgery is part of a celebrity-style status symbol involving photo shoots and ‘chauffeur services’,' said BAAPS President Rajiv Grover. 'There is nothing glamorous about surgery and these serious (and irreversible) procedures should not be sold alongside aspirational perks as if they were part of a jet-setting lifestyle.' Another, separate study looking into providers of non-surgical treatments such as wrinkle-
Using a particular type of titanium dioxide — a common ingredient in cosmetics, food products, toothpaste and sunscreen — could reduce the potential health risks associated with the widely used compound. The report on the substance, produced in millions of tons every year for the global market, appears in the ACS journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. Francesco Turci and colleagues
explain that titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) can cause potentially toxic
| NEWS
A round-up of news stories in the aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine industry
'LUXURY' INDUCEMENTS CONTINUE TO GLAMORISE AESTHETIC PROCEDURES
STUDIES REVEAL THAT THIS KIND OF MARKETING TACTIC CONTINUES TO FLOURISH
relaxing injections and dermal fillers, showed three out of five (58%) were offering incentives. Worryingly, one third (32%) of these
providers did not even specify who actually administered the treatments and over one quarter (26%) made no mention whatsoever of qualifications. Sites where these facial procedures could take place included shopping centres, gyms and even ‘at-home parties’. Only one fifth (22%) of the procedures were offered in facilities registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 'The continued free-for-all mentality which
also involves untested procedures being marketed directly to the public must be reined in, which is why we’re pleased to launch the Government-endorsed National Institute of Aesthetic Research—the first of its kind in the world,' said Mr Grover. 'As concluded in the report earlier this year,
thorough scientific evaluation, peer-reviewed studies and public education are urgently needed in the aesthetics sector; these have always been the BAAPS’ own objectives, as are now the NIAR’s.'
A SAFER INGREDIENT FOR COSMETIC AND SUNBLOCK
is generally considered a safe ingredient in commercially available skin products because it doesn't penetrate healthy skin. But there's a catch. Research has shown that TiO2
effects when exposed to ultraviolet light, which is in the sun's rays and is the same kind of light that the compound is supposed to offer protection against. To design a safer TiO2
for human use, the researchers set out to test different
forms of the compound, each with its own architecture. They tested titanium dioxide
powders on pig skin (which often substitutes for human skin in these kinds of tests) with indoor lighting, which has very little ultraviolet light in it. They discovered that one of the two most commonly used crystalline forms of TiO2
, called
rutile, easily washes off and has little effect on skin. Anatase, the other commonly
used form, however, was difficult to wash off and damaged the outermost layer of skin — even in low ultraviolet light. It appears to do so via 'free radicals', which are associated with skin ageing. 'The present findings strongly
encourage the use of the less reactive, negatively charged rutile to produce safer TiO2
-based
cosmetic and pharmaceutical products,' the researchers conclude.
prime-journal.com | October 2013 ❚ 9
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