Cosmetic surgery should be banned for the under-18s, a report recommends today.
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics says companies exploit teenagers as well as put them at risk with dangerous and untested procedures.
The think-tank believes children should be barred from receiving lip fillers, Botox and cheek implants, warning there is ’cause for serious concern’ about the ethics of the growing cosmetic industry.
It says children as young as eight and nine are being encouraged to have plastic surgery thanks to online games which simulate the procedures – including mobile apps such as Plastic Surgery Princess.
A report has recommended that cosmetic surgery (stock photo) should be banned for the under-18s
The authors last night praised a Daily Mail investigation in March, which revealed amateur beauticians with no medical training were offering lip fillers to schoolgirls for as little as £59.
Hugh Whittall, who is the director of the Nuffield Council, said: ‘The Mail’s recent article in which they investigated unregulated filler treatments being offered to young women by unqualified practitioners is a good example of what we are concerned about.’
The investigation revealed that beauticians are widely advertising cosmetic procedures on social media and making few checks as to the age of their clients.
