It found that websites by cosmetic surgery providers offer “incomplete information” to perspective patients.
Laura Manley, a fourth year medical student, and Professor Pietro Ghezzi, RM Phillips Chair in Experimental Medicine at BSMS, investigated the first 200 websites returned by a Google search on breast enlargement. In total, 74 per cent of the results were the websites of cosmetic surgery providers followed by price comparison websites (6 per cent).
With many women under increasing pressure in regards to their body image, a growing number are choosing to undergo breast augmentation procedures. Figures from 2017 show that almost 300,000 and 28,000 surgeries were performed in the USA and in the UK respectively. Many women initially turn to the internet for information on the procedure, including the costs involved, possible side effects and which surgeon to use.
Professor Ghezzi said: “This study found that cosmetic surgery providers’ websites failed to provide complete information. They offered adequate information on the procedure itself, mentioning five aspects of it on average, such as the anaesthetic used, the location of the incision and the type of implant.