Plastic surgeons have raised concerns following a catalogue's decision to offer botox treatments to its customers. Grattan, a UK clothing catalogue, has offered customers a range of non-surgical procedures, such as Botox, from Transform Cosmetic Surgery.

The move has prompted the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAP) to raise concerns that "off-the-shelf" undermined the seriousness of the procedures. However, Transform responded by saying that consumers received a consultation and were fully informed before undergoing any procedure.

Botox is a highly purified and much diluted form of the botulism bacterium which paralyses the muscles. It has been widely used in the cosmetic surgery world to smooth out wrinkles. The Grattan catalogue is offering botox alongside lip enhancement and skin peels, and allows its customers to pay in instalments for any treatments.

BAAP had advised members of the public not to buy non-surgical cosmetic procedures in this way with BAAPS president Douglas McGeorge saying: "I'm surprised that any cosmetic surgery company claiming to provide quality of care would choose to market through a clothing catalogue. It is essential the public understand that aesthetic procedures, even if they are non-surgical, are not commodities to buy off-the-shelf and cannot later be exchanged for a different style or size. Side effects from injectables may be rare but they do happen, and the latest warnings from manufacturers serve to highlight the need for proper consultation and thorough informed consent by the patient."

Speaking to the BBC, Pat Dunion, operations director from Transform Cosmetic Surgery, defending the company's decision to offer botox via a catalogue buy saying that they had over 30 years of experience in providing cosmetic surgery.

"Transform is regulated and audited by the Healthcare Commission and all our skilled and experienced non-surgical practitioners across our 22 clinics are either a qualified doctor, surgeon or a registered general nurse. The partnership with Grattan is an effective means of widening the non-surgical market. The clinical decision process for Grattan customers is the same as for all our non-surgical patients. Regardless of how they heard of Transform, all are fully informed about the procedures before they consent to proceed. Transform is committed to high quality patient care and is currently leading the way, alongside industry partners, to push the current government to introduce formal regulation of the non-surgical market in the UK."

The makers of Botox, Allergen, had recently put out a statement reiterating that the toxin should only be administered by physicians and warning of adverse events in people with certain disorders.

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Guide to Botox explores the issue of botox including information about treatments and what you need to know before undergoing botox therapy. For more information please visit http://www.guidetobotox.com