How ugly side of the beauty industry did THIS to mum
Loophole allows beauticians to provide f illers without licence
UNREGULATED beauticians are carrying out potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures which can disfigure women for life.
They are performing so-called ‘nonsurgical’ treatments, such as lip and cheek ‘fillers’, without medical qualifications.
Last night, one young woman told how fillers carried out by beauticians left her with a drooping top lip that has no sensation.
‘Lilly’ said: ‘It feels like my lips are twice the size... they’re cold and numb to touch.’
The number of complaints about procedures by non-medics in Scotland has reached a record high – almost doubling last year.
A loophole means medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses and dentists, who carry out the treatments have to register with a Scottish Government regulator – but beauticians do not have the same checks.
Dermal fillers have become increasingly popular in recent years, in part owing to the influence of US reality star Kylie Jenner, 21, who admitted having lip enhancements.
Gels are injected under the skin
‘Invasive treatments carry serious risks’
and can plump ‘problem’ areas such as thin lips, weak jawlines and eye-bags. But complications can include blindness, severe allergic reactions and necrosis, when tissue dies. Medics and campaigners have called on the Government to crack down on unregulated beauticians.
Dr Nora Nugent, of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: ‘These invasive treatments carry serious risks. Fillers can cause blindness, they can cause skin death and it’s not always reversible.
‘A beautician that may have done a week’s course is not the same as being clinically assessed. It is time to look at the legislation and look at what is best for the patients.’ Since April 2017, health professionals in Scotland have had to pay more than £2,000 to register with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and must have regular inspections to carry out the procedures.
Beauticians can do the same work without the same monitoring.
Campaign group Save Face is working to improve regulation and set up a UK-wide register of accredited practitioners which is recognised by the UK Government, NHS, UK Department of Health and Care Quality Commission.
Save Face said the number of complaints lodged against nonmedics in Scotland relating to nonsurgical cosmetic procedures rose from 57 in 2016-17 to 109 last year. Its director, Ashton Collins, said that was ‘directly linked’ to the number of people doing cosmetic procedures without medical qualifications. She said: ‘Practitioners target patients on social media and when something goes wrong the patient gets blocked and has to seek corrective treatment elsewhere.’
Save Face said DK Aesthetics had the most complaints in Scotland, with 16 in three months – five from healthcare professionals. Run by beautician Daniel Kerr in Bathgate, West Lothian, it boasts on its Facebook page that it delivers ‘Scotland’s number one non-surgical facial aesthetic procedures’.
In Save Face documents seen by the Scottish Mail on Sunday, a client said they suffered a vascular occlusion – a blockage of a blood vessel – after treatment there. Others have allegedly been left with hard lumps in their lips.
Mr Kerr denied ever knowingly causing an occlusion and was not aware of complaints to Save Face.
He added: ‘We do everything by the book, our insurance company knows we follow all medical malpractice procedures. If anyone was to complain, it’s an open door policy. If there are any concerns there’s a 24-hour number.
‘Unfortunately, there are a lot of doctors and nurses that have it against us because we are a little bit cheaper than everyone else.
‘I’m very good at my job, I know exactly what I’m doing.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are considering a range of options for the regulation of independent clinics.’