Regulation – it’s a big buzzword among aesthetic professionals working in the specialty. From untrained, non-medics conducting injectable procedures, to the use of unlicensed products, aesthetic practice can be a minefield or a ‘Wild West’ as tabloids have previously called it.1
At present, anyone in the UK, including lay people, can practise aesthetic medicine by enlisting onto a short training course. They can then begin injecting the next day. Currently, no medical qualifications are needed to administer treatments such as dermal fillers, threads and even botulinum toxin if the individual has a prescriber.2
As a result of a lack of regulation and training standards, complication rates have increased because many practitioners have limited knowledge of anatomy, danger zones, product placement and techniques, and are not equipped to manage a potential complication themselves.3 However…
