Europa International have been criticised for their new gimmick – the cosmetic surgery superdraw. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) have said that it is “plumbing new depths”. However the co-founder of Europa International, John Babbage, has said there is no difference between someone winning the draw, or paying for the surgery themselves.

People enter the cosmetic surgery lottery be texting or phoning through to a number and leaving their contact details. The draw is held monthly and the winner will receive £6,000 towards cosmetic surgery of their choice.

There is concern that the lottery violates the code of ethics in the UK, which states that financial incentives should not be used to attract people. There are also questions about whether the winners would be suitable for the prize – time should always be taken for the surgeon to know and understand the patient and patients should have thought the process through thoroughly before embarking on surgery. It is thought that the lottery may encourage rash decisions and also corner cutting.

Mr Babbage has however defended his company’s draw. “The winner of this competition does have to pass a medical first,” he insisted. “It’s exactly the same process as if the client was paying. They have to fill in a medical questionnaire form and if, for any reason, it is deemed they are unsuitable, the obvisouly we would refund any payment they have made.”

Mr Babbage went on to sat that he didn’t feel there was any difference between a paying customer or a winning customer and that all the rules and regulations were in the terms and conditions of the draw. He defended his company, saying that they had been trading for 11 years, and just because it was based outside of the UK, it did not make it any less safe.