Loans Articles


Summary  

BUPA advertises cosmetic procedures on its website and suggests customers seek loans to fund them. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons accuses BUPA of targeting vulnerable women. Is plastic surgery in this country being trivialised?

 

BUPA Accused Of Exploiting Women's Insecurities

 

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BUPA is a long-established and prestigious organisation with a fine reputation for health insurance. Its services include various preventative health care measures such as mammograms. These can be arranged at times to suit professional women with busy schedules, and that can only be a good thing. Then if a problem is discovered they can be seen quickly by a specialist and can choose the hospital for their treatment.

BUPA is to be applauded for this invaluable service. However, there is what could be viewed as a rather distasteful side to BUPA. They are advertising cosmetic procedures such as collagen injections and face-lifts on their website, and encouraging women to apply to a finance company to fund them.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons is unhappy with the way BUPA seems to be pushing loans for plastic surgery, targeting vulnerable women who feel dissatisfied with their appearances. These women's insecurities could be masking deeper emotional problems which no amount of cosmetic surgery can solve.

Another criticism is that BUPA are training sales reps to sell these procedures to young women, paying them commission if they hit certain appointment targets. This fact was confirmed by the organisation.

Adam Searle is the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and he thinks that it was ‘a very sad and dangerous step' that BUPA took when it decided to advertise loans for cosmetic surgery.

"The sad thing is that very vulnerable individuals are going to tumble into this,” he said.

"If their life is a mess and they think having their breasts done is going to sort it out, they will borrow the money,” he continued. “After the surgery, their life may still be a mess but they are also in debt.

"Someone with insecurities about their appearance is vulnerable to enticements towards cosmetic surgery, hoping it will revolutionise their lives but that is not always the case,"

Mr Searle concluded.

A menu of treatments is posted on BUPA's website, costing from around 550 pounds for collagen injections up to 9,000 pounds for a full face-lift.

The name of a medical finance company, Med-Fi, is then given as a source of a loan for the treatment.

BUPA was adamant that they were providing a service that their customers wanted by giving financial information on their website.

"Our customers have told us that advice on paying for surgery is information they value, therefore we provide brief details on funding options on our website," a spokesman stated.

Some surgeons feel their profession is demeaned as a TV show offers cosmetic surgery as a prize to the lucky winner! What happened to a hamper or a holiday for two?

Mr Searle was appalled that any potentially dangerous medical procedure could be turned into a commodity in this way.

"It seems to have come down to the level of loyalty cards, money-off vouchers, competition prizes and even a raffle prize of the procedure of your choice," he complained.

The Transform Medical Group offers patients incentives – after a certain number of procedures they get a 200 pound discount off the next one!

A spokesman for the Group maintained that they were helping to make plastic surgery more accessible by advertising its services and costs.

Mr Searle voiced his concerns plainly, "The true tragedy is that within this epidemic of rather tasteless activity there are going to be patients who experience significant complications and lifelong damage from pursuing ill-planned and ill-thought out operations."