Advertising watchdogs have indicated their support for a blanket ban on advertising for the elective plastic surgery industry after the industrial grade silicone sealant being used for breast implants has caused several women to experience breast explosions.
"We're talking about the special offers," said OfCom Plastic Surgery Advertising specialist, Adam Tizer. "Enticing people into getting elective surgery they don't need."
One such offer that is being offered is the two-for-one offer.
"You know full well whom this is aimed at," said Tizer. "Women don't go 'oh I can get my boob job for half the price', they think instead 'oh I can get boobs twice as big for the same price'."
The wording of the adverts has been criticised by OfCom.
"They do not refer to it as fifty percent off," said Tizer. "It's referred to as two for one. In other words, two boobs for the price of one. We have seen the phrase fifty percent off, but only when specifically referring to liposuction."
Tizer believes that the wording is carefully chosen to appeal to vulnerable people who need protecting from unscrupulous advertisers.
"Of course advertisers are unscrupulous," said Harvey Price of Price, Price and Sell, one of London's lead advertising companies, whose clients include some of the country's top plastic surgery clinics. "Has it taken OfCom this long to work it out? Our job is to make people buy things they don't need. Or, buy more of what they do need. Sometimes, and it's a rarity these days, we are there to let people know of an alternative supplier of something they do need. We employ psychologists, psychiatrists and psychics to make our adverts as mind altering as possible. That's why we get paid so much. To you it might say 'Mmmmmm' acdonald's, to a hungry person, it makes them desire a particular brand."
Tizer has listened to the advertiser's arguments.
"Fair enough," he said. "They can carry on advertising."
