According to activists, the number of complaints about non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as Botox has reached a record high.
Last year, the national registry of practitioners and clinics, Save Face, received 2,824 complaints.
The number, which includes complications from treatment, is a quarter higher than in 2020.
Due to rising complaints, public protection concerns have been raised throughout the industry’s new licencing regime.
MPs want the policy to be implemented more rapidly.
Under current regulations, an aesthetic practitioner in the United Kingdom is not required to possess any qualifications. It means that anyone who completes a training course will be permitted to administer dermal filler treatments.
The Times reports that the Department of Health and Social Care rejected requests to expedite the regime in February. Sparking concerns that the regulation could take up to three years to implement.
This is even though complaints to Save Face have increased significantly, from 2,436 in 2021 to 2,036 in 2020.
In 2022, approximately 69% of all complaints were about derma fillers, which can cost around £200.
Injections of hyaluronic acid fill creases, increase lips and cheekbones, and define them.
In recent years, as women aspire to appear like celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, their popularity has skyrocketed, causing experts to worry that Britons are falling victim to an unregulated cosmetic aesthetic industry.
Director of Save Face Ashton Collins mentioned a case involving a woman who sought an anti-wrinkle injection. But was suspected of receiving an unlicensed product, resulting in severe complications.
She said, “People think I’m exaggerating when I say this, but she had to have half her face removed due to infections that ate away at her tissue and nerves, necessitating multiple surgeries.”
Carolyn Harris, the co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on beauty and wellness for the Labour Party, stated, “If it’s not properly governed, if we don’t give people the proper training, and if we don’t give proper accreditation and licensing to people who are properly qualified, then it could be life-threatening.”
Ms. Collins stated that the MPs’ demands that the regime be implemented by July were “unrealistic.”
She stated that interim safeguards could be implemented and urged the government to “launch a proper awareness campaign to anyone considering these treatments.”
Ms. Collins added that it could be a requirement for practitioners to have malpractice insurance, which would mean that if something went wrong, rather than having to pay thousands of pounds to remedy it, compensation would be provided.
Given the quantity of work required, Professor David Sines, executive chairman of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, agreed that the July deadline was not feasible.
The project was “always going to take two very busy years,” culminating in a 2025 launch date.
In addition to complaints, Save Face hears scores of cases annually involving individuals who were not required to have a face-to-face consultation before receiving botulinum toxin injections. Botox is the most well-known botulinum toxin brand.
Following a series of positive discussions with stakeholders, we intend to conduct our first consultation on the procedures that will fall under the licensing scheme this summer, according to a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson.
Twelve clinics were holding online lotteries for £5 tickets to win £650 treatment packages.
Campaigners accused raffle organisers of using “dangerous tactics” to induce Britons to undergo such treatments, including prescription ones.
They cautioned that offering cosmetic procedures as rewards could trivialize them and their potential repercussions.
Recent research suggests that Botox injections may impair the ability to recognize the emotions of others.
In a study conducted by scientists from the University of California and Botox manufacturer AbbVie. Participants who had received anti-aging injections exhibited altered brain activity in regions associated with emotion.
Botox injections, which use botulinum toxin, are given to 900,000 Britons each year. This technique reduces wrinkles by blocking nerve signals that contract skin muscles.
