A letter from academics Dr Helga Dittmar of the University of Sussex and Dr Emma Halliwell of the University of the West of England is being sent to the Advertising Standards Authority. It warns of the negative impact that airbrushed images can have on the self-esteem of young people, especially when it makes models look super-thin.
It will call for the restriction of airbrushing and ask for ads showing altered images to carry a notice.
The call is being backed by another 42 experts, who agree the images "that depict ultra-thin, digitally altered women models are linked to body dissatisfaction and unhealthy eating in girls and women".
It follows a campaign launched in September by the Liberal Democrats, who are encouraging the public to contact the ASA when they see ads which they believe have been heavily airbrushed by .
The campaign cites one ad for Rimmel in particular featuring the model Lily Cole.
The Lib Dems want a ban on ads that feature digital retouching and are aimed at under-16s.
The ASA has previously said that it does not support calls for a ban because it does not reflect public opinion and that it receives very few complaints about airbrushing.
In the past the ASA has deemed that ads using very thin women can fall in to the "offensive" category. One of the most notable was for a 1998 Accurist watch ad that showed an extremely skinny upper arm with the strapline "put some weight on".
When the ASA issued its judgement ruling that the ad was irresponsible and offensive, when they use social issues to sell. It stopped short, however, of issuing a ban on thin models.
The issue of airbrushing can be a minefield for advertisers. Unilever brand Dove had made a big deal of promoting it as a brand for "real women", using models of varying shapes, sizes and ages in its ads and even running a viral spot called , showing the extent to which a model is made up and Photoshopped before the image is deemed perfect.
Controversy hit the brand in 2008 when a designer revealed he had been hired to .