Government to crack down on cosmetic surgery ‘cowboys’ over botched Brazilian butt lifts and Botox
Ministers want to clamp down on “cowboy” cosmetic procedures including Botox and Brazilian butt lifts after a string of horror incidents which left customers dead or with catastrophic damage.
Officials said the industry had been blighted by “dodgy practitioners and procedures”, with some patients “maimed” during botched treatments.
It follows the case of mother-of-five, Alice Webb, who is thought to be the first person to have died following a non-surgical liquid Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure at a UK clinic.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has proposed new restrictions on who can access and provide treatments in a bid to protect people from “rogue operators” with no medical training who often provide “invasive” procedures in homes, hotels and pop-up clinics.
The move should also reduce the cost imposed upon the NHS to fix botched procedures, DHSC added.
Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, hailed the proposals as an “important first step forward for patient safety.”
Health minister Karin Smyth said: “The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a Wild West of dodgy practitioners and procedures.
“There are countless horror stories of cosmetic cowboys causing serious, catastrophic damage.”
She said the government would take action too “root out cowboys” and support “honest and competent practitioners.”
“This isn’t about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it’s about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe,” Ms Smyth added.
“We’re giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.”
The government’s proposals include:
- Only allowing healthy workers who are “suitably qualified” to be able to deliver high-risk procedures such as (BBLs)
- Ensuring providers are regulated by the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission.
- Slapping sanctions and finanial penalties on those who break rules on high-risk procedures
- Ensuring clinics offering Botox and fillers are licensed
- Introducing age restrictions to prevent children from trying to follow “dangerous beauty trends on social media”
The timeline for the introduction and completion of these measures was not stated. But the DHSC said it will launch a consultation next year seeking views on the range of procedures which should be covered in the new restrictions.
Last month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that fat injections, BBLs, Botox and fillers are being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets.
Before the proposed regulations come into force, the government has urged people seeking cosmetic procedures to ask for the provider’s qualifications and insurance, and to be wary of “suspiciously cheap” offers.
Health officials launched an investigation after a number of people had reactions to Botox injections earlier this year.
Professor David Sines CBE, the chair and registrar of Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), said the move will “protect the public from untrained and inexperienced operators and it will save the NHS a considerable amount of time and money putting right the harm done through botched procedures.”
The statement added the need for the new measures had become increasingly clear in recent years with the “explosion of high street outlets offering high-risk procedures delivered by people with limited clinical knowledge and training.”
He warned this has led to long-term health complications and, in some cases, has led to patient deaths.
Mr Mitchell suggested the government must go further on liquid Brazilian Butt Lifts, which the RCS said the procedure should only be performed by a Cosmetic Surgery Board-certified surgeon.
The surgeon warned that the procedure needs medical oversight to prevent serious complications and said that while the government’s plans will improve the regulation of non-surgical interventions, it must also urgently improve the regulation of surgical procedures.
Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council, said: “Any measures that increase protection for the general public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector.”
