The UK’s non-surgical cosmetic industry is valued at around £3.6 billion. But did you know that currently, you don’t legally need a license to perform procedures like Botox or filler injections?
In fact, there is no official industry regulation or qualification standard for cosmetic treatments. Shocking, right?
It’s an issue that many respected practitioners have campaigned against for some time. And now, at last, the way aesthetic treatments are prescribed in the UK is going to change.
From June 1, The NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) will require face-to-face consultations before nurses can prescribe Botox and dermal fillers. Before they could do so without meeting the patient or person administering the drugs, putting patients at risk.
This is a long-awaited first step in safety regulation. In 2023, all those in the aesthetics industry, and people who have undergone cosmetic procedures – including Botox, laser hair removal and dermal fillers – were invited to fill in the first-ever survey on how to make them safer.
These views were expected to shape regulations that protect patients from potential harm associated with poorly performed procedures. But there has been no further action from the government as yet.
Nor has a licensing scheme been actioned. The passing of the Health and Care Act in April 2022 gave the Health and Social Care Secretary the power to introduce a licensing regime operated by local authorities in England.
Practitioners would need to be licensed to perform specific procedures, and the premises from which they operate would also need to be licensed. There would be restrictions on those who can perform certain high-risk procedures, too.
“Whether it’s Botox, dermal fillers or even a chemical peel, we have heard too many stories of people who’ve had bad experiences from getting a cosmetic procedure from someone who is inexperienced or underqualified,” Maria Caulfield, minister for the Women’s Health Strategy said in a statement. “There’s no doubt that the popularity of cosmetic procedures is increasing, so it’s our role to ensure consistent standards for consumers and a level playing field for businesses and practitioners.”
Aside from a law to make it illegal to administer such treatments to under 18 year-olds – and banning all adverts on the matter which target under 18s – there is, as yet, no legislation to fully protect patients in the UK.
Advanced facial aesthetics doctor Dr Ahmed El Muntasar, known as @theaestheticsdoctor on Instagram, believes regulation “would be amazing for patient safety and protecting vulnerable patients from rogue injectors – and people that have not got the medical training to be able to inject – but more importantly it’s about dealing with the complications and this is where medical training comes in.
“It is so important to ensure anyone administering Botox or fillers has the knowledge and expertise to do so,” he continues. “You have to ask yourself, what if you block a blood vessel, what if you jeopardise the blood supply to someone’s eye, what can you do then? This is where your medical training comes in to be able to deal with the pressure, you know how to manage the complication so it’s very much step one. Actually protecting our patients from these back-alley clinics and cowboy injectors is essential.”
