BOTOX BANDITS
Fight for better regulation of cosmetic industry to guard against...
CONCERNS over potential botox botches by unqualified practitioners putting people’s safety at risk have spurred Inverclyde’s MSP to call for greater regulation of the industry.
Stuart McMillan has pledged to fight for new legislation to ensure that everyone who offers non-surgical medical aesthetic procedures such as Botox, dermal filling injections and permanent make-up must abide by the same rules and regulations. Mr McMillan was first made aware of the need for change when constituent Jill Best, who owns Jill Best Medical Aesthetics Ltd, contacted him in 2018 with fears that patient safety was in jeopardy due to lax regulation.
Currently in Scotland, healthcare professionals like Mrs Best who perform the treatments are regulated by professional bodies.
However, injectors who are not registered healthcare professionals but undergo private training courses to learn to offer these treatments are not regulated by or accountable to any authority.
Mrs Best told the Telegraph that she would like to see ‘lay injectors’ regulated to the same standards as she is in order to protect the public.
She said: “For treatments like botox or dermal fillers there are risks associated with those, but if you Googled dermal fillers you could find them on Amazon.
“Dermal fillers are a high-risk aesthetic medicine and should things go wrong they need a prescription-only medicine to resolve that and I’m in a position to do that.
“I’m in a position as a healthcare professional of many years to be able to recognise these problems and treat them.
“Somebody who has just been on a weekend course, however, where do they get their prescription medicines from? The answer is often online.
“Patient safety is embedded in us from day one of our medical training, whether we’re a doctor, a dentist or a nurse, we always regard the patient first.”
Mrs Best expressed frustration that healthcare professionals like her were being forced to pay massive fees in order to be regulated, while those without qualifications were practicing without the same rules in place.
She added: “I believe it’s hugely important that these medical procedures, and who performs them are regulated to equal measure.
“Most would assume that anyone offering non-surgical medical aesthetic procedures would have undergone appropriate medical or nurse training, are licensed, and are regulated by professional bodies.
“However, this is not the case which should come as a shock to many seeking medical aesthetic treatments.
“This is important as it’s about assuring the public that they can trust that the people offering these medical treatments are regulated and meet patient and public safety criteria.
“This can only improve safety standards across the medical aesthetic sector.”
Mr McMillan stressed that it was important that there was a ‘level playing field’ around non-surgical cosmetic procedures and said he would like to see quicker action to address the disparity.
He said: “We are behind England with regards to the regulation and that’s not good enough.
“Jill and I have been in dialogue since 2018 and things should have moved on a lot swifter by now to be quite frank.
“I see this in terms of constituents contacting my office on a daily basis in relation to health issues.
“If we don’t get this right then that will actually add to the NHS burden in the future.
“If we get more folk just setting up when the regulation is either not there for them or is very light then there is the potential for a lack of patient safety.
“I don’t want that to happen.
“The Scottish Government just need to get on with this, it’s the right thing to do.
He added: “Many people operating in this sector do take health and safety seriously, but without regulation, this cannot be measured to an appropriate level, and there is the risk that a small minority may be putting profits ahead of public safety.
“That’s why I agree with Jill and her healthcare colleagues that legislation is required to ensure that everyone who offers non-surgical medical aesthetic procedures is regulated by the same body and same set of patient safety standards.
“I have been assured by the Scottish Government that they are working through the consultation responses and in due course will outline their plans to address Jill and her colleague’s concerns.”