SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is cracking down on doctors who perform unproven beauty treatments.

Doctors found to be carrying out procedures like fat-reducing injections may even lose their licence.

Clinics advertising such services without scientific proof may be taken to court.

MOH has already warned 20 doctors to stop such practices.

Mesotherapy promises to burn your fats away with a few, quick jabs.

Despite results on some patients, the Health Ministry has said the method is not scientifically proven and has risks.

These include liver inflammation or in worse case scenarios, liver failure.

And mesotherapy is just one of many unproven beauty fixes which MOH said doctors must stop performing.

Others include applying stem cells to revive the skin or anti-ageing hormone and skin-whitening shots.

And some general practitioners or GPs are known to devote half of their practice to such treatments, with prolific ones earning up to S$100,000 a month.

Channel NewsAsia also understands that 30 liposuction machines have been sold to GPs in 2007.

The business is lucrative, worth some S$200 million a year and the latest checks by the Health Ministry are not likely to totally wipe out these clinics.

Dr JJ Chua, a plastic surgeon, said: "Most aesthetic GPs will not go back to cough and cold. There are many proven scientific treatments that they can do as well. There are many aesthetic doctors, they do lasers, light, fillers, botox which can still form a mainstay of their income. So they do not need to resort to unproven unwise therapy."

Consumers welcome the crackdown but some said the onus is still on the individual.

The Singapore Medical Council is already investigating the aesthetic medicine practices of six doctors including a specialist. - CNA/vm