In 2022, the Health and Care Act gave the government powers to introduce licensing for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. This is yet to be enacted.
The first death from a cosmetic procedure was recorded in the UK in 2024.
Dr Paul Charlson, who is an aesthetics doctor in East Yorkshire and member of the Joint Council for Cosmetics Practitioners (JCCP), warns there will be “more deaths and more disfigurement” unless the government “gets on with” enacting the legislation he helped to draw up alongside others across the industry.
“If the government said ‘we want this in in six months’, it could be done,” he said.
The JCCP said it had dealt with an “explosion in complaints” from local councils about poor practice in the sector. In 2023, it was aware of complaints from two local authorities, compared with 65 by the end of 2024.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson did not comment on Dr Charlson’s criticisms, but said it was “unacceptable” that people’s lives were at risk from “inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector”, and it was “urgently exploring options for further regulation”.
They urged anyone considering cosmetic procedures to find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner.
Andrea says she has been scarred both mentally and physically, suffering regularly with pain in her face and says she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I would never do it again and I would never advise anyone to do it,” she says.
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