BABTAC act as key consultants on first-of-its-kind work with government to push for “essential” aesthetics licensing scheme
This past weekend, the government launched their first-ever consultation to help shape a new licensing scheme for aesthetic treatments, in the hope of cracking down on ‘botched’ procedures by introducing a regulated standard across the industry.
The first-of-its-kind consultation will run for eight weeks, collating feedback from beauty businesses and individuals on how to make non-surgical cosmetic procedures safer, after a record-high of 3,000 complaints in 2022, with over two-thirds relating to dermal fillers and almost a quarter relating to wrinkle-relaxants[i].
The new licensing scheme would mean that practitioners and cosmetic businesses operating in England will need to be licensed to perform specific procedures, and could have the potential to include age limits and restrictions for high-risk procedures, including injecting fillers into intimate parts of the body such as breasts and buttocks.
This follows a long collaboration with Government of key Beauty Industry organisations including - BABTAC, BIAE, BBCo , HABIA, NHBF and UKSpa to support and help shape licencing and regulation.
CEO and Chair of BABTAC & CIBTAC, Lesley Blair MBE says “We wholeheartedly support the government’s decision to consult on this proposed licensing scheme, and have been honoured to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to drive it forward to this key moment”
“Aesthetic treatments like filler and botulinum toxin have become increasingly popular in recent years, so introducing a licensing scheme is the imperative next step to ensure that the industry remains reputable and most importantly, safe. By benchmarking the industry standard, those who book in for non-surgical procedures would be able to do so with confidence, knowing that they are receiving the highest level of care from a practitioner that is properly trained and qualified.”
In this consultation the Government are seeking your views on:
- the types of treatments that we propose are included within the licensing scheme
- whether any procedures should be carried out only either by qualified and regulated healthcare professionals or under their clinical oversight
- whether procedures permitted to be carried out only by qualified and regulated healthcare professionals should only be carried out by Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered providers
- whether potential age restrictions should be imposed on those receiving specified procedures, in line with age restrictions on botulinum toxin injections, cosmetic fillers, tattoos, teeth whitening and sunbed use
To access the Consultation click here or to read the full government press release click here
[i] According to research conducted by Save Face, 2022.