HOW COMMON ARE ‘TWEAKMENTS’ – AND HOW SAFE?

Aesthetic treatment is a £4 billion industry, and non-surgical procedures make up 75% of this – most of which are injectables. However, unlike tattooing, where it is illegal to tattoo a young person under

18, treatments such as lip fillers and Botox can be legally injected at any age.

Shockingly, patients undergoing non-surgical cosmetic procedures are currently protected by the same level of regulation that applies to buying products like ballpoint pens and toothbrushes.

‘It is almost impossible to have any accurate centralised data as so many people operate under the radar,’ explains Ashton Collins, Director of Save Face, which has a register of accredited practitioners and clinics for nonsurgical procedures.

‘It’s like catching ghosts. They aren’t insured because they aren’t required to be insured or to have medical training. They aren’t breaking the law. We even hear about treatments being carried out in sheds, cars and gyms. Often, practitioners purchase cheap, unlicensed products over the internet and the implications can be dire.

‘It is important to remember these are medical treatments and complications can happen.’