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Extreme weight loss and appearance reality programmes are driving demand for cosmetic and weight reduction surgery, Auckland University researchers say.
Clinical psychologist Professor Keith Petrie co-authored a report in the Medical Journal of Australia. It said the portrayal of cosmetic and weight loss procedures on television typically distorted the speed and difficulty of those physical changes, because of the condensed format.
That created unrealistic expectations for viewers and had been shown to lower viewers' self-esteem.
Recent data showed that four out of five patients seeking first-time cosmetic surgery were influenced by plastic surgery reality television, Professor Petrie said.
" TV distorts the picture quite a lot, we also know it creates this demand. It doesn't show the whole of the process - there are dangers, there are rates of infections, they [patients] also take a long time to heal," he said.
Increases in cosmetic surgery saw 12 million procedures completed in the US in 2007, up 59 per cent on 200. Australian statistics also seemed to be rising. No New Zealand data was collected but it was reasonable to assume the same effect here, he said.
Professor Petrie said while there was nothing inherently wrong with plastic surgery, the shows were problematic because they raised expectations out of proportion. Ethical safeguards were needed in these programmes as well as more research into the effects on both viewers and participants - that would ensure that vulnerable individuals were not place in potentially damaging situations.
But Alex Bolton-Hogg a producer of TV3' s Downsize Me! believes not all programmes are made equal. The weight loss series follows people over two months who have tailored exercise and nutrition help. The aim, Ms Bolton-Hogg said, is to set participants on the path to lifelong good health.
She was critical of shows such as The Biggest Loser which took people away from their lives for up to three months to concentrate on weight loss.
"It's unachievable. Those results can't be replicated in any other environment."
