Social Issues

Lose weight under loose rules

Slimmers call for tighter controls over beauty industry

by Zip Cheung

Waist watchers urge the government to tighten controls to protect them from unscrupulous b usinesses targeting their psyche to shake off extra pounds with substandard slimming products and services.

The number of complaints about the slimming and beauty industry rose to 755 in 2005 from 518 in 2004, an increase of about 46 per cent, according to the Consumer Council.

Complaints against slimming products, including drugs and devices, have doubled to 23 cases in 2005 from 12 cases in 2004. Most complainants blame the products for being ineffective or producing side effects.

A 19-year-old university student, Hazel Chong Hei-wan, suffered from the side effects of slimming drugs last year. “I went to a medical clinic in Kowloon and told the doctor that I wanted to lose weight,” she said. “And after measuring my height and weight, he gave me some pills. The pills made me feel full. I did lose some weight. But I started to have a rapid heartbeat.”

A month later, Miss Chong came to know the pills were harmful to the liver. She stopped taking the pills at once. Although her heart was not affected seriously, she said the government should impose stricter regulations on slimming drugs, especially those easily available in pharmacies.

At present, retail stores selling slimming drugs do not need any licences.

Slimming drugs, herbs or food products that contain western drug components are regulated by the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance. They can only be obtained by prescription from a r egistered doctor, dentist or pharmacist. Retailers must keep a record of the sales dates as well as the names and addresses of buyers.

The restrictions, however, do not apply to the slimming products with no western drug components. Those items are regulated under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance and are regarded as general health food products. Anybody can buy them.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said a team of 28 pharmacists would test health food products in the market regularly to ensure they did not contain western drug components. In 2005, 42 of the 2,221 health food products tested were found to contain western drug components. Eight of them were for body slimming.

Beauty devices, especially the powerful laser instruments used at most slimming centres, are also of public concern. According to the Consumer Council, inappropriate applications of those instruments may lead to serious side effects such as skin burns, blisters or skin colour change.

To protect the interests of users of slimming or beauty devices, a working team was formed in June 2005 to develop an examination-based accreditation system for intense pulse light device operators. Qualified operators will be awarded a certificate. Members of the team come from the Department of Health, the Education and Manpower Bureau, the Consumer Council, the Vocational Training Council and the beauty industry. The first examination for operators will be held this year, the spokeswoman for the Department of Health said.

Although some slimming drugs or devices do not cause any health problems, they cannot produce the desired slimming effects.

Ivy Chan Wai-ying, 48, bought six packs of a slimming product from FANCL for about $1,500 but found them useless. “It was a kind of slimming essence which claimed to have the effect of burning fats,” she said. “Each pack contained 10 bottles of essence. I drank all 60 bottles but didn't lose a single pound.”

So far, there are no government regulations on harmless but ineffective slimming products. Leung Lai-kwok, an associate professor of biochemistry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong , said the government should advise consumers on the possibility of the ineffectiveness of certain products.

“The information on the advertisements of slimming products should be valid. The producers should have evidence for the claims they made,” Dr Leung said.

If the products are of no effects, the suppliers should stop selling them, he said.

Public complaints have also been made against the advertisements of some slimming products and services for providing misleading and exaggerated information. A Consumer Council spokeswoman said there should be more regulations and surveillance on the advertisements of slimming products and packages.

Lawmakers have also urged the government to take immediate action to tighten the regulations on advertisements of those products and services.

The Department of Health's spokeswoman said the Undesirable Medical Advertisements O rdinance would control such advertisements. However, the law only applies to advertisements that promote the use of drugs and surgical appliances for treating bodily illness. Advertisements of slimming products and services are not covered.

Customers have accused advertisements of slimming centres of being annoying sometimes as they tend to exaggerate the short period of time needed to lose weight. Those photos of models before and after the slimming treatments always look unconvincing.

But Yip Sai-hung, chairman of the Federation of Beauty Industry ( Hong Kong ), defended the sector, saying slimming centres were just using the information about the products or devices provided by the producers and suppliers for promotion. “We may not be able to provide a lot of details because we're not the experts of those items,” Mr Yip said.

He said the Consumer Council had drafted a beauty industry code of practice, which included sale guidelines for slimming centres or beauty salons. “For example, there're directions for the suitable wording used on advertisements. The code also encourages us not to use computer modifications on photos,” he said.

“We'll follow the code voluntarily. The slimming industry as a whole will be pleased to enhance the service quality to protect the interests of consumers.”

Still, the total number of complaints against slimming packages and courses increased to 126 in 2005 from 44 in 2004.

Statistics from the Consumer Council showed the prices of slimming packages provided by 20 different beauty centres ranged from $800 to $48,000.

The Consumer Council's spokeswoman said there was no control of prices as Hong Kong is a free market. Consumers should judge the prices by themselves, she said.

“People usually seek help from us when they want to end their contracts,” she said. Consumers usually want to end their contracts when they find the service ineffective. They also try to cancel a deal when the instructors they like are leaving the centre, or they themselves have to move.

“The consumers' interests need to be protected, but consumers themselves ought to fulfil their own responsibilities too. Moving, for example, can't be a reason for ending a contract without making a payment,” the spokeswoman said.

Although the number of complaints against the slimming industry has been increasing, Mr Yip argued that it was “an illusion”. “The increase may only be due to the increase in the number of transactions made,” Mr Yip said. “The Consumer Council didn't release the total number of transactions in recent years. People are shocked by the percentage of increase. But nobody knows the ratio of the number of complaints to that of transactions.”

According to the Census and Statistics Department, the average monthly household expenditure on fitness and slimming services, saunas, spas and massages jumped to $48 in 2004 from $11 in 1999, while the spending on beauty salon services rose to $45 from $43 in the corresponding periods.

As the slimming industry has expanded in recent years, the increase in the number of complaints does not necessarily mean that the quality of the industry is worsening, Mr Yip said.

Yet, Minnie Cheung, an accredited practising dietitian at Tetra Nutritional Consultation Centre, said there were risks involved when taking slimming products. “For example, the heart systems of some people may not be able to tolerate the effects of the drugs' ingredients. Or, if the drugs cause diarrhoea, some consumers may suffer from dehydration,” Ms Cheung said.

She said the government should educate the public on how to choose a correct way of losing weight. “Consumers go for the slimming products because they don't know about the dangers they may have. When they learn about the possible risks, they'll choose more carefully,” she said.