Nigel Mercer, a leading doctor and President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says, the cosmetic surgery industry is an 'unregulated mess', as a lack of regulation, including 'professional greed' is making it riskier for patients to undergo cosmetic surgery.

Several doctors writing in the Clinical Risk Journal back his views that tighter control is necessary for clamping down on issues like untested products and two-for-one offers.

Even as cosmetic procedures become increasingly popular amongst people wishing to alter the way they look, writing in a special addition of the journal published by the Royal Society of Medicine, British doctors and others from abroad argue factors, such as, increased marketing, media hype, including lack of scrutiny, all put patient safety at risk.

Cosmetic surgical operations have more than tripled to 34,000 since 2003, with tummy tucks, breast augmentation, nose jobs and eyebrow lifts amongst the most popular. However, many procedures, such as, dermal fillers for plumping up lips and smoothing out wrinkles, are also carried out on the high street and black market, fuelled mostly in part by internet promotions, magazine advertising and aggressive discounting. Causing Dr. Harvey Marcovitch, editor of the journal to say, no other area of medicine required as much patient protection in UK than cosmetic surgery, including tighter control of advertising and internet advertising.

Mr Mercer, a consultant plastic surgeon said, the industry has driven by public expectation, media hype and professional greed had brought on 'a perfect storm', and also asked the government to ban discount offers for surgical procedures e.g. two-for-one offers and surgery holidays.

As well, Mercer said there was an urgent need for legislation for regulating new products like dermal fillers, as unlike in the USA, they are not required to be tested as drugs.

However, a spokesman for the Department of Health claimed, a wide range of regulatory systems were in place for covering cosmetic services, from laser treatment through to surgery, with all medical practitioners offering cosmetic treatments, whether doctors or nurses answerable to their professional regulator.