New restrictions to crack down on practitioners of cosmetic “tweakments”, such as Botox and dermal fillers, as well as higher-risk procedures like liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), will be introduced by the government.
It follows a long list of nightmare scenarios, where people have been treated by practitioners with little or no medical training, resulting in dangerous complications, including permanent scarring, as happened to me, or even death.
According to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, complaints are through the roof, with reports of “rogue operators” carrying out operations on kitchen tables, administering dangerous injections in people’s sitting rooms, hotels, and pop-up clinics – and even public toilet cubicles.
Karin Smyth, a health minister who is determined to put an end to the backstreet cosmetic industry, said new regulation of beauty practitioners will “root out the cowboys” and support “honest and competent” practitioners.
“The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a Wild West of dodgy practitioners and procedures,” she said. “This government is taking action.”
Under the new proposals, only qualified health professionals will be able to carry out risky non-surgical BBLs, and clinics will need to meet strict rules to obtain the necessary licensing to offer Botox and fillers.
There will be new age restrictions on certain procedures to protect under-18s from being tempted into potentially dangerous beauty trends popularised on social media. The government said it will launch a consultation next year to investigate the whole range of procedures that should be covered in the new measures.
All well and good, but these developments come too late for many people like me who have fallen victim to the cowboys. Labour’s safeguarding proposals could have saved me from being covered in burns when, in 2008, I had IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) laser treatment in a London spa to clear up pigmentation caused by sun damage.
As the technician ran the machine over my chest and face, I felt excruciating pain. When I got home and looked in the mirror, I screamed. I looked like I’d been branded. My chest was covered in rectangular-shaped red burn marks; I couldn’t sleep or put on clothes. The next day, I marched off to a top private doctor at a dermatology clinic who prescribed me creams to help the burns and treated me safely with IPL to help smooth out the uneven skin tones left from the initial treatment on my chest, which to this day leaves me looking stripy if I go in the sun.
Practitioners who use IPL or lasers exclusively for cosmetic purposes, as was the case for me, don’t have to register with the Care Quality Commission or be medically trained. However, some local councils in England require all practitioners who use IPL and lasers to register with them.
Even back in 2008, doctors like mine were trying to lobby the government to get proper regulations so that such treatments could only be done by medically trained individuals. IPL is commonly used in hair salons and sunbed shops for hair removal, and in the wrong hands can easily lead to disasters.
I had another near-miss a few years ago when a friend’s mum recommended a Botox practitioner for just £200 – I had it done in the woman’s kitchen. When, after 10 days, I’d noticed no difference bar a droopy eyebrow, I rang her to ask what the hell was going on. She told me she’d been sent a dud batch and offered to redo it for free (I didn’t go back). I later paid double the price to get Botox done properly by a top doctor, but threw the towel in on realising I can’t afford £500 every three months.
There are so many such stories. My hairdresser ended up in A&E after she had under-eye filler done through a practitioner recommended on Instagram – when it swelled up on a flight, she feared her face would explode. Last year, Alice Webb, a mum of five, died after having a BBL in England. She was only 33.
In hindsight, it’s terrifying. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned of 41 cases of botulism poisoning in England between 4 June and 6 August after the suspected use of unlicensed Botox-like products in cosmetic procedures – no doubt bought on the cheap online, as mine might have been. Patients reported reactions such as difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, and breathing difficulties, which meant they needed respiratory support.
The government still needs to work out exactly how to enforce the new proposed regulations. But before the new laws come into play, which could take years, the government is urging the public to ask for the provider’s qualifications and insurance, and to be on high alert over “suspiciously cheap” offers.
Overall, this is a very welcome leap forward for patient safety. But people like me should never have been left to the cowboys in the first place.
 "It’s all in the brain – Firstpost")
