Only doctors, dentists and nurses will be able to administer cosmetic fillers
It is a victory for The Mail on Sunday’s campaign for tighter regulation
Anyone flouting European guidelines could face prosecution and prison
By Victoria Fletcher
Published: 00:05 GMT, 31 March 2013 | Updated: 00:05 GMT, 31 March 2013
Beauticians and hairdressers are to be banned from injecting Botox in an effort to cut the number of people harmed by botched procedures.
New standards drawn up in Europe stipulate that only doctors, dentists and prescribing nurses will be able to administer the cosmetic fillers.
It means that only salons which hire qualified professionals to work in designated treatment rooms will be able to go on offering the treatment.
The announcement is a victory for The Mail on Sunday, which is campaigning for tighter regulation of the cosmetic industry.
One of the demands of our Stop The Cosmetic Surgery Cowboys campaign is for proper training and a register of everyone who carries out cosmetic injections.
Botox and fillers have enjoyed a surge in popularity, with 370,000 Botox injections administered in 2010.
But this has led to a rise in patients suffering from unwanted and disfiguring side effects including frozen foreheads and swollen lips nicknamed the ’trout pout’.
Victims include actress Leslie Ash, who suffered an allergic reaction to lip fillers in 2002. She has called for improved regulation of the industry.
New guidelines: Only doctors, dentists and nurses will be allowed to administer cosmetic fillers
Last week, the European Committee for Standardization published a draft guideline on who can provide cosmetic procedures and where these should be carried out. Anyone who flouts it could face prosecution, fines and possibly imprisonment.
News of the guideline, which could be introduced by autumn next year, was welcomed by the group that represents private medical providers.
Sally Taber, from Treatments You Can Trust, a industry-backed certification scheme for medics who provide cosmetic treatments, said: ’This EU standard is brilliant.
’It is making a sensible and ethical suggestion to protect patient safety. If we let beauty therapists continue to perform these procedures it would be negligent.’
Victory: It is a victory for The Mail on Sunday’s campaign for tighter regulation of the cosmetic industry
Victory: It is a victory for The Mail on Sunday’s campaign for tighter regulation of the cosmetic industry
According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, 70 per cent of members have seen patients suffering from complications after having temporary fillers, and half in patients who had semi or permanent fillers.
In most cases, surgery could correct the damage, but in some the effects could not be reversed.
The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, representing beauty therapists, said last night it wanted a uniform training plan to be introduced for anyone giving cosmetic injections. It would not comment on the European guidelines.
A Government review of how to improve safety for cosmetic surgery patients is due to report shortly.
Victim: Actress Leslie Ash suffered an allergic reaction to lip fillers in 2002 and called for improved regulation