TV blamed for cosmetic surgery rise

Tag : cosmetic

Extreme makeover and weight loss shows are fuelling a surge in thenumber of Australians going under the knife to dramatically changetheir appearance, psychologists have warned.
A report published in the Medical Journal of Australia blamesreality television programs like The Biggest Loser for the hugeincrease in people seeking cosmetic and weight reduction surgery.
It states that the number of procedures climbed by about 15 percent in most countries, including Australia, between 2006 and 2007,with more patients admitting "appearance medicine" shows hadmotivated them to make the change.
"An important driving factor behind the increase in cosmetic andweight reduction surgery may well be the large number of realitytelevision programs that focus on weight loss and radicalappearance change," said health psychologist Professor KeithPetrie, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
He said these programs were attracting massive audiences, with morethan one million Australians tuning in to watch each episode of TheBiggest Loser last year.
And change was dramatic on the program, with the winner losing 70kilograms - almost half his body weight.
The winner of a US makeover show, The Swan, underwent 13 facial,dental and body procedures, including brow, eye and mid-face lifts,liposuction, fat transfer to the lips and a tummy tuck.
Prof Petrie said these types of shows typically distorted the speedand difficulty of huge physical changes, creating dangerouslyinflated, unrealistic expectations for viewers.
"Most programs focus on the few individuals who have the mostdramatic changes in appearance, thus exaggerating the likelihood ofpositive outcomes," he said.
He said the rate of weight loss and other appearance changes alsoseemed extremely fast due to time being condensed into a televisionprogram format.
"Complications, infections and failed procedures are barelymentioned, giving the impression that negative outcomes are rare,"Prof Petrie said.
"And the environments in which appearance medicine programs arefilmed are often highly artificial, as most people don't haveaccess to the same level of resources, equipment, personal trainersand chefs."
The editorial report calls for more research into the psychologicalimpact on viewers and said stronger safeguards were needed toprotect participants in the same way ethical standards protectpatients involved in experimental drug trials.
"Given the dissatisfaction that participants typically expressabout themselves and their lives at the programs' commencement, theextreme psychological pressure that is created during filming, andthe difficulty of maintaining rapid weight loss, it would besurprising if all participants and their families walked awayunscathed," he said.
A spokeswoman for Network Ten defended The Biggest Loser, sayingthe show was filmed in a safe, controlled environment with slowweight loss supported by expert guidance from dieticians, trainersand psychologists.
© 2008 AAP
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