New UK television channel dedicated to safe cosmetic surgery

Headed by leading cosmetic surgeons, Avia TV is a new television channel aiming to provide accurate and balanced information on cosmetic surgery procedures. Avia TV has launched a search for men and women to receive up to £30,000 worth of free surgery each to make a real change in their lives.

Headed by leading cosmetic surgeons, Avia TV is a new television channel aiming to provide accurate and balanced information on cosmetic surgery procedures

Avia TV has launched a search for men and women to receive up to £30,000 worth of free surgery each to make a real change in their lives. The successful applicants will appear in the company’s flagship programme “It Changed My Life” where some of the UK’s top cosmetic surgeons will offer anything from simple to complex cosmetic surgical procedures to help patients get their lives firmly back on track. Avia TV’s consultant surgeons are already well known for their work on such shows as Extreme Makeover, Embarrassing Bodies and The Ugly Face of Beauty.

Around 1.6 million people are estimated to be considering cosmetic surgery. It Changed My Life will tell some of their stories – why they want surgery and what they want to change. We will see them living their lives before surgery, meeting their surgeons to discuss their problems and learn how responsible surgical procedures can help. Only once the consultants are satisfied someone is a suitable candidate will they be accepted. Avia TV will then show the operations in detail, the patient’s recovery and reveal how surgery has really changed a life for the better. All of the Avia TV consultant surgeons are fully accredited and are on the specialist register of the General Medical Council.

Avia TV aims to cut through the myths about cosmetic surgery to provide accurate, reliable and balanced information. Online you can watch films about operations, how to choose a surgeon or a hospital and hear from the surgeons themselves about what they do and what motivates them. Avia TV also wants to inform and educate its audience and the medical profession about existing and emerging techniques in surgery and to invite viewers to ask the experts personally about procedures and their concerns.

Peter Arnstein of McIndoe Surgical Centre, a co-founder of Avia TV says: “Cosmetic surgery is sometimes a misunderstood and often controversial industry so we wanted to devise a web channel dedicated to giving the facts to enable patients to make the right decisions for them. We never forget that the safety and welfare of patients is paramount. It Changed My Life will take care of people and, we hope, will show viewers how responsible surgery should be done.”

John Pereira, also of the McIndoe Surgical Centre and co-founder of Avia TV adds, “The new web TV channel is about giving information to viewers. People who appear on It Changed My Life will, through their experience on screen show others what happens during the process of consultation, decision making, surgery and recovery in a factual way that is easy to understand. We have to show people what surgery involves, including the new developments and constant evaluation and re-evaluation of techniques and attitudes. It is a myth that surgery is all about vanity. For me, that means someone who is already beautiful trying to go one stage further. It changes lives, as we see people who have lost all confidence in themselves and what they do in life. Grandmothers who miss out on time with their grandchildren because they feel too embarrassed by their tummy shape to put on a swimming costume and take them to the pool or seaside. Older ladies who have a rejuvenating facelift to restore their self-confidence and enable them to get back into their public lives.”

Stephen Cohen advises, “The web channel is just the first stage of the Avia TV project. From early 2011, millions of viewers will be able to tune in when we launch the broadcast channel on TV screens across Britain.” We are confident that the UK audience will seek out a dedicated source of information about cosmetic surgical procedures, which provide a unique opportunity to change people’s lives for the better. Too often, surgery programmes on television deal with what went wrong or just speculate about the operations celebrities may, or may not, have had done. We are creating a TV channel which gives viewers the facts in a calm and honest way.’’

The co-founders are not fans of cosmetic surgery tourism and argue, “A worrying trend has emerged as some are combining their holiday time with cosmetic surgery abroad and booking a sun, sea and surgery getaway. We would never advise this option. Frankly we feel that it is extremely dangerous to undergo surgery at an unfamiliar hospital in a country where you may not even speak the language. The Ugly Face of Beauty on Channel 4 recently highlighted the very real risk of surgery abroad, and McIndoe Surgical Centre saw those patients first hand when some of our surgeons were asked to perform corrective surgery on a number of ladies who had received substandard surgery abroad.”

McIndoe Surgical Centre urges patients to remain in the UK, and advises anyone considering surgery at home or abroad.
• Aftercare is one of the most important aspects of surgery and ideally you should have somewhere within the UK where you can go for aftercare check ups, or for any questions that are linked to the clinic abroad. It is not easy to pop across to another country if you feel you are not healing properly.
• Thorough research should be done into the clinic and the surgeon who will be performing your operation. Check they are registered with the GMC (General Medical Council) or that they have specialist qualifications and experience in performing the surgery you require. You should be able to meet your surgeon in the UK before booking the procedure so you can have a detailed consultation and ask plenty of questions.
• The price of surgery is obviously important to many people, but be aware that the poor quality cosmetic clinics often do not charge any less than good well equipped hospitals or specialist centres because of the add on charges that appear on the final bill. Check the price quoted is fixed and includes surgical, anaesthetic, hospital, medicines and dressings. Ensure that you are guaranteed free revision surgery should your initial result be substandard and it is appropriate to make alterations.
• The best advice of all though, if you want your holiday to be restful, worry free and relaxing is to leave the surgery until you come home and then use a reputable hospital close to home where you can be supported after your surgery. Every surgery comes with risks and to be thousands of miles from home is no joke if things go wrong.