A row erupted after a cosmetic surgery group launched a 'feel good package' for newly divorced women.

Transform Cosmetic Surgery Group announced details of its so-called 'post-divorce pick-me-up' at a trade show on the same day an industry body advised its members to refuse treatment to patients in emotional distress.

Liz Dale, Transform's marketing director, said: "With an increased demand for total makeovers following the end of marriages, Transform is proposing a combination of breast enhancement, liposuction, teeth whitening and Botox.

"With the average divorce age rising to 43, we are seeing more and more women turning to cosmetic enhancement to boost their self-confidence post-divorce.

"The most popular operations with divorcees are breast enhancement and liposuction, followed closely by facial surgery, including eye bag removal.

"We have also seen a marked increase in the number of women who have just come out of relationships exploring non-surgical procedures, including botox, facial peels and dermal fillers to give them the self-assurance they need to return to the dating game."

The announcement angered the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), which was holding its annual conference in Bath.

One of the main messages it was conveying to its 200 members is that they should decline treatment to patients in emotional distress or with unrealistic expectations about how cosmetic surgery could change their lives.

Last night BAAPS president Douglas McGeorge said: "Targeting newly divorced woman like this is incredibly unsavoury marketing and not the sort of thing we would advocate.

"We say surgeons should not give cosmetic surgery for purely aesthetic reasons to women in the middle of a life crisis.

"Surgery can help to rebuild troubled lives, but women who have divorced should wait until their life is in a state of equilibrium before considering it not rush straight into it.

"Desperate people who try to re-brand themselves through surgery are not necessarily going to feel happier for having it done, and they should think about it long and hard first."

BAAPS is based at the Royal College of Surgeons.