The government is set to impose new licence requirements on unregulated cosmetic surgery providers in an effort to battle ‘botched botox’ procedures.
Changes to Health and Care legislation will be made on Tuesday which give the government’s health secretary powers to enforce a new licencing regime for botox and fillers.
The move follows a ban on these procedures for under 18s in England and comes amid an “unacceptable” rise in people being mentally and physically harmed following these procedures.
The new law will make it illegal for these treatments to be administered without a licence and will ban adverts on all forms of media which target under 18s.
The scope and scale of the new regulation and licence requirements are yet to be determined but the government said it will seek to introduce “consistent standards” and hygiene and safety standards.
Work is also being done by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the potential to bring certain devices, such as dermal fillers without a medical purpose, in scope of medical device regulations.
In a statement Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said: “While most of those in the aesthetics industry follow good practice when it comes to patient safety, far too many people have been left emotionally and physically scarred after botched cosmetic procedures.
“I am committed to protecting patient safety by making it an offence for someone to perform these cosmetic procedures without a licence.
“We’re doing all we can to protect patients from potential harm, but I urge anyone considering a cosmetic procedure to take the time to think about the impact on both their physical and mental health and ensure they are using a reputable, safe and qualified practitioner.”
Minister for patient safety Maria Caulfield said: “The spread of images on social media has contributed to an increase in demand for cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers. While these can be administered safely, we are seeing an unacceptable rise in people being left physically and mentally scarred from poorly performed procedures
“Today’s amendment is the next step on the road to effective regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England.”
