“Socially irresponsible” adverts for liquid Brazilian butt lifts have been banned – with a watchdog claiming they trivialised surgery and exploited the uncertainties women may have about their body image.
The procedures, known as BBLs for short, involves injecting dermal filler into the bottom to enhance its volume and shape.
But according to the Advertising Standards Authority, a slew of promotional posts on Facebook and Instagram broke the rules – and featured time-limited discounts that could rush consumers into making decisions.
Six BBL providers were told their ads must not appear in their current form again, as they could pressure women into booking cosmetic surgery “without taking sufficient time to consider the consequences”.
The watchdog added: “Undertaking cosmetic surgery should have been portrayed as a decision that required time and thought from consumers before proceeding, because of the risks involved.”
Some of the adverts feature before-and-after images of Brazilian butt lifts, along with captions such as: “Get the curves and contours you’ve always wanted with our safe and effective body filler treatments.”
Others urged potential customers not to miss an “exclusive opportunity to get that perfect peachy look” – and warned “limited space” was available on certain days.
An ad promoting “instant results” to “treat hip dips” and “increase bum volume” was also in breach of ASA guidelines.
The regulator said the promotional posts were identified by a monitoring system that uses artificial intelligence to proactively search for problematic ads.
Beautyjenics, Bomb Doll Aesthetics, Ccskinlondondubai, EME Aesthetics, Dr Ducu and Rejuvenate Clinics were all found in breach – but three of these providers did not respond to the watchdog’s inquiries.
Rejuvenate Clinics said it will remove all references to time-limited offers, and make clear in the future that surgery is carried out by a medical professional.
EME Aesthetics stressed consumers are under no obligation to book procedures – and disagreed that its ad pressured them or trivialised the risks of cosmetic surgery.
Dr Ducu said its Black Friday deals were designed to give women an opportunity to access its services at discounted rates, with consumers always encouraged to make informed decisions without pressure.
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The ASA said it was concerned that the other three companies had failed to respond – and showed “apparent disregard” for the advertising code.
Last year, one woman needed hospital treatment after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift at a hotel in Glasgow – with officials warning the consequences “can be painful, disfiguring and require emergency medical treatment”.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged Britons to think twice before travelling abroad for such procedures, adding they should be wary of offers that seem “too good to be true”.
