The crackdown on unsafe cosmetic procedures

This month, I was delighted to see the Department of Health and Social Care's announcement introducing better controls on cosmetic procedures, notably strict licence standards for fillers and Botox, as well as extra restrictions on high-risk procedures like non-surgical Brazilian Butt Lifts.

A lack of regulation in the aesthetics sector

It's not an area I speak or write about very often - I am aware that it is a contentious issue, and to criticise it can seem at risk of criticising the person having aesthetics work done. The world of aesthetics offers lots of opportunities for people - sometimes it's about how we look, and sometimes it's functional. The reason why someone chooses to have a treatment is personal, and it's a wonderful thing to have choice and autonomy over your own body and choices.

There are also some incredible, ethical practitioners in this space, who care for their clients and are diligent both in their work and in the care they give to each person who comes to see them. However, it's no secret that the industry has been largely unregulated in the UK for a long time, and with its growing prevalence, the gap between those who deliver a gold standard of care, and so-called 'cowboys', is enormous. It can be very difficult for individuals to know where to go, and there's a raft of short courses available that simply don't touch the sides of what's needed to offer safe treatments.

New measures for safe cosmetics procedures

The headline points in the government's press release issued at the start of August, include:

• Only suitably qualified healthcare professionals will be able to deliver high-risk procedures such as Brazilian butt lifts
• Clinics administering fillers and Botox will need to meet strict standards to obtain a licence Kids to be protected from dangerous beauty trends on social media through plans for new age restrictions on treatments
• Robust measures will protect people and save the NHS time and money fixing botched procedures

My dear friend, Diane Hey, who is an expert therapist tutor and assessor with more than 35 years' experience in the beauty, aesthetics and wellbeing sector, as well as a Trustee at The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC), wrote on LinkedIn:

"This long-awaited action is a critical step in protecting the public from the dangers of unregulated and unsafe non-surgical cosmetic procedures. For too long, poorly trained individuals completing short courses have been able to carry out high-risk procedures with little accountability. These new measures will help safeguard the public, uphold professional standards, and reinforce the importance of regulated, high-quality education and training within the sector."

Creating safe spaces for wellbeing

At Spabreaks.com I have been privileged to work with spas and spa therapists who are second-to-none in their respective areas. Some offer aesthetics treatments; most focus on holistic therapies, but in all cases they uphold exceptional standards and offer their clients, and consequently ours, the best experiences possible, whichever treatment they opt for.

I continue to believe that the wellbeing sector as a whole - with its wide and varied offering - must be open to all who wish to experience it, providing safe spaces where people feel welcomed, cared for, and nurtured. Wellbeing means different things to all of us - sometimes it's detox, sometimes it's indulgence, sometimes it's for yourself, and sometimes it's with other people. In any and all contexts, however, the wellbeing sector, and spas in particular, should be places of sanctuary - where you can let your guard down, put on your literal and proverbial robe and slippers, and be taken care of.

It's therefore important for us all that cosmetics procedures are held to a high and reliable standard, and I am pleased to see measures are being put in place to ensure that is the case.