Cosmetic surgery ads get mandatory warning labels

From this summer advertisements for cosmetic surgeries will include the mandatory label: "Watch out. Making yourself prettier could turn ugly. A successful surgery starts with a good doctor."

Minister Edith Schippers announced this in a letter to the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, about measures in the cosmetic sector on Thursday. The warning is included in the new advertising code of the Dutch Foundation fro Aesthetic Medicine.

The Minister also established a number of measures to better protect people who undergo cosmetic procedures. The measures include educating consumers, rules for practitioners and supervision by the government. One of these measures is the launching of a website where people can find reliable information about cosmetic procedures.

The law is also being tightened to protect consumers better and to give the Healthcare Inspectorate more capacity to monitor the cosmetic sector. Some of the changes include beauticians no longer being allowed to perform injections, and risky laser treatments may only be performed by a competent physician or skin therapist.