Consumers Foundation Find Dozens of Cosmetic Surgery Violations|消基會隨機抽查 醫美違法促銷比例多

The Consumers' Foundation recently analyzed 15 cosmetic surgery clinics that publish their prices on their facebook pages. They found that 13 of them were offering discounts and special deals. They also found that the top three e-commerce platforms are selling procedure and consultation vouchers online. The foundation says these platforms are not medical institutions and therefore they have already violated the Medical Care Act.


This ad offers a free Botox shot for consumers that sign up for Sculptra and hyaluronic acid shots and free post-procedure care for consumers that sign up for a full-face treatment package. This type of ad is not uncommon online. The Consumers' Foundation recently looked at 15 cosmetic surgery clinics that publish their prices on Facebook and found that 13 of them were offering discounts. This is illegal and punishable by a fine under Article 61 of the Medical Care Act.

After purchasing the discount vouchers, she went to the clinic and found out the vouchers could only be used for treatments for half her face.

Apart from violations on Facebook, the foundation also found violations on e-commerce portals ETMall, U-mall and Momo. Package and consultation vouchers redeemable at cosmetic surgery clinics were being sold on all three, which violates Article 84 of the Medical Care Act as none of them are medical institutions. Although dedicated Taipei City Department of Health personnel began trawling the internet for medical violations in 2012, shopping portals continue to sell these vouchers.

Ads published by non-medical institutions are punishable by fines of NT$50,000 to NT$250,000.

According to the department, 13 percent of the thousands of medical disputes it processes every year are cosmetic surgery-related. It received 116 cosmetic surgery complaints in 2016 and 133 in 2017. Fifty-nine percent of these involved cosmetic surgery packages. The foundation says the government must step up inspections and consumers should talk with their doctor or clinic about relevant risks before undergoing any procedures. In addition, consumers should not rush to pay in advance just to get a discount.