ZEB competition “trivialises plastic surgery,” says association

The Royal Belgian Society for Plastic Surgery has accused Belgian retail chain ZEB of “trivialising cosmetic surgical operations” by organising a competition in which the first prize is €5,000 worth of plastic surgery.

According to a spokesperson for ZEB, the competition is meant to draw attention to the embargo on price reductions in the run-up to the official start of the summer and winter sales periods. “We want everyone to be able to do what they want and what makes them feel good, whether that’s a flamboyant look or plastic surgery,” said Erika Mees of ZEB.

The federal public health ministry, meanwhile, said that the competition is illegal. “We will be informing the public prosecutor of the facts,” said spokesperson Sven Heyndrickx. “It will then be up to him to decide whether to prosecute ZEB.”

According to the Society for Plastic Surgery, the clothing chain is inciting people to undergo a surgical procedure without due consideration and without a valid reason, short-cutting the essential information process involved. “Professional regulations are not voluntary,” said association president Frans Missotten. “They must be adhered to in the interests of the patient. Cosmetic surgery is real medicine, not a party trick.”

According to the law, he said, any form of communication or action that promotes medical cosmetic interventions either directly or indirectly is illegal. Such actions undermine the efforts of many plastic surgeons who treat their patients in a responsible manner, both in terms of medical care as of psychological follow-up, he said.

Photo courtesy vendiscapital.com