Women seduced by images of perfect post-surgery breasts in glossy magazines may be being conned by "anatomically impossible" digital enhancements, leading cosmetic surgeons warned yesterday, as they rounded on cowboy clinics which lure customers with “irresponsible” promises.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) launched a campaign to stamp out bad practice in the industry, such as using digitally enhanced models in advertising and financial incentives for surgery.

One of the adverts highlighted featured a model with “anatomically impossible” breasts, while another offered a “lunchtime facelift” - which BAAPS insisted could not be done.

The association also criticised the use of financial incentives – pointing to an ad which offered a £250 discount to customers if they had the surgery quickly.

The campaign was launched as BAAPS revealed an explosion in breast augmentation procedures over the past five years. Unveiling the results of the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken on the subject in the UK, it reported a 275 per cent increase between 2002 and 2007. Last year, 6,497 British women opted for a “boob job” up from 2,361 five years previously.

BAAPS represents around one third of cosmetic surgeons in the UK. However it is not a regulatory body and so has no powers to take action against clinics.

Instead, it hopes the advertising campaign will help customers make better choices about where to go under the knife.

Douglas McGeorge, president of BAAPS and himself a consultant plastic surgeon, said: “BAAPS has been increasingly concerned about the standard and style of today’s cosmetic surgery advertising, designed to encourage and incentivise people to undergo procedures.

“Surgery is a serious undertaking which requires realistic expectations and should only proceed after proper consultation with a reputable and properly qualified clinician in an appropriate clinical setting.”

The association stressed that they were not criticising the standard of care provide by the clinics in the adverts but the marketing techniques used to draw patients in.

Many British clinics have signed up to the Independent Healthcare Authority’s code of practice, Good Medical Practice in Cosmetic Surgery, which states that marketing materials should safeguard patients from unrealistic expectations and should use real life rather than professional models.

However, BAAPS says that as the code is voluntary, it is flouted by many clinics. Adam Searle, a former president of the organisation, said: “Plastic surgery, when used well, is the most powerful tool to improve patients’ well-being.

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