Advertising for cosmetic surgery on the Internet?

In a lawsuit against two doctors, the Wettbewerbszentrale wants to clarify whether and to what extent advertising for cosmetic surgery to young people is permitted. It objected to the corresponding advertising in May 2019 and filed an action with the Frankfurt Regional Court (Case No. 2-06 O 360/19) in August. There has not yet been a date for the oral hearing before the Regional Court.

Key Facts

The Wettbewerbszentrale reviews advertising for cosmetic surgery for young people.
The advertising was objected to in May 2019; legal action followed in August.
The doctors advertise under the title "Young Aesthetics" for breast augmentation and lip modeling.
Advertising was classified as problematic under professional law, with violations of professional regulations.
The Wettbewerbszentrale considers advertising to be misleading and minimizes the risks of the operations.
Doctors argue that they have the right to address young people as a target group.
The Federal Minister of Health is planning a ban on advertising aimed at young people.

The two physicians run a practice for aesthetic plastic surgery in Hesse. Under the heading “Young Aesthetics” they advertised breast augmentation and lip sculpting for young women:

“Tingling moments, sizzling eroticism and an extraordinary charisma: being consciously feminine is simply exciting. Plump breasts and sensual lips play a major role and are considered pure seduction in the age of selfies, Instagram and co. It’s not for nothing that Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian’s sister, has had her lips injected since the tender age of 17. You too can play with your charms …”

this is what it literally says on the website of the two doctors. The advertisement ended with a reference to “0.0% financing.”

Violation of medical professional duties

The Wettbewerbszentrale based its action on, among other things, a violation of professional regulations. The professional code of conduct for physicians in Hesse prohibits advertising that is contrary to the profession. This includes advertising that is laudatory or misleading in terms of content and form. In the opinion of the Wettbewerbszentrale, this includes any advertising that presents cosmetic surgery that is not medically indicated as a lifestyle product for young women. Young women are given the impression that breast augmentation or lip modeling is perfectly normal in order to look as advantageous as possible on social media. At the same time, in the opinion of the Wettbewerbszentrale, this constitutes a violation of the prohibition of misleading statements under competition law, as the operations are trivialized.

The other party argued before the court that it was not precluded from addressing a young audience as its own “market target group”. In addition, before the procedures, there is a very detailed explanation that meets the requirements of an aesthetic operation.

According to an announcement on Oct. 16, 2019, German Health Minister Spahn wants to have advertising for cosmetic surgery banned that is aimed exclusively or predominantly at young people. According to the BMG’s statement, the new regulation is to be attached to the planned “Measles Protection Act” as an amendment in the parliamentary procedure.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.