Plastic surgeons have warned patients of the potential dangers of unregulated spas that provide invasive anti-ageing and surgical treatments.

The new breed of “medi-spas”, highlighted in The Times Good Spa Guide 2007 in Body& Soul today, now offers facial peels, laser surgery and Botox injections along with more traditional beauty treatments.

But there are no national standards regarding such procedures, and people seeking treatment should make sure they are seen by a qualified expert, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) says today.

Spas customarily offer beauty treatments such as facials, massages and hair removal, but some are now branching out into other areas, often at ostensibly cheap prices. But victims of botched treatments often have to spend much more than they bargained for on corrective surgery, experts said.

Last month the Government was criticised over plans for the industry to police itself over the provision of Botox treatments.

Douglas McGeorge, a consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS president, said: “The public should seek environments under the care of a properly qualified physician rather than at a shop or a hair salon: nonsurgical does not mean nonmedical. Injectables, peels and lasers should all be performed by a properly trained cli-nician, a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist.”

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