Scottish Parliament debating tougher rules for cosmetic treatments
Lawyers say the number of botched aesthetics procedures is on the rise
Last updated 2nd Oct 2024
Calls for tougher rules on cosmetic treatments in Scotland are being debated at Holyrood this afternoon.
The discussion is being led by Greenock SNP MSP Stuart McMillan, who has told Forth 1 that he is "genuinely worried" about the rise in procedures like anti-wrinkle and filler injections being carried out by people with no formal training.
The Scottish Government has said it is planning to launch a consultation on the issue later this year.
Calls for stricter regulation
Previously, campaigners have spoken out about similar concerns around a lack of regulation for practitioners without a medical background.
In Scotland, all registered healthcare practitioners, including doctors, dentists, and nurses, must be regulated and registered with Health Improvement Scotland before they can undertake any cosmetic procedures in a clinical environment.
However, a legal loophole means that people without a medical background can set up this type of business without being registered or regulated under a public body.
This has led to a surge in aesthetics businesses where injectors have taken a single course and can begin dishing out jabs to patients the very next day.
It has also meant so-called clinics have started opening in garden sheds, caravans and living rooms.
READ MORE: Calls for stricter botox laws as unregulated clinics open after ONE day of training
'Important step in the right direction'
In Scotland, there is currently no minimum age requirement for cosmetic botox and filler patients.
Whereas in England, under-18s are banned from getting the procedures.
Mr McMillan said: “With the growing popularity of medical aesthetic procedures comes a growing need to properly regulate their provision, and it’s welcome that the Scottish Government is recognising this.
“The consultation is a first and very important step in the right direction, ensuring that any regulation is as effective as possible, with a focus on fairness and patient safety.
“I have long argued that the current status quo poses a risk to both those receiving those treatments and our NHS which cannot continue.
“I am pleased to have secured this debate to further discuss this issue and look forward to playing my part in ensuring any new regulations are as effective as possible."
'I see 200 cases a year now'
Scots lawyers have said there has been a considerable increase in people making injury claims as a result of botched beauty treatments in Scotland.
Jennifer Wallace is a personal injury specialist at Thompsons Solicitors in Dundee: "Non-surgical aesthetic treatments can often carry with them risk of injury.
"In some cases, the injuries can be very serious, like permanent disfigurement.
"There is a real need for there to be further regulation in the industry of those practitioners who do not currently fall within the definition of independent clinics.
"That would reduce the risk of injury, but it would also provide additional protection to consumers who, if were they were subject to an injury, had the option to make a complaint to the regulatory body or pursue a claim through the insurance of the practitioner."
Jennifer admits she has seen some gravely serious problems arise from cosmetics treatments.
She said: "The range of injuries I see varies greatly depending on the type of the treatment.
"They can range from disfigurement and scarring, bruising, psychological injury, and in some extreme cases, nerve damage, vision loss and stroke.
"I have been specialising in these claims for over 12 years and the number of cases I've seen has increased quite considerably.
"It has gone from maybe a handful of cases a year, to 200 cases a year."
Botched BBLs and fake Botox
This year, several cases of botched cosmetic procedures and fake products have made the headlines in Scotland.
In March, a woman required emergency treatment after she received a Brazillian Butt Lift (BBL) in a Glasgow hotel function room.
The company which performed the dangerous treatment has been banned from carrying out the "high-risk" BBLs and breast augmentations anywhere within in the city.
Other areas in Scotland have also received complaints about similar procedures, including the City of Edinburgh Council, which issued a warning to the public.
In May, thousands of pounds worth of unlicensed and unprescribed cosmetic injectables were seized from a warehouse in Glasgow.
Boxes of dermal fillers, needles and vials of botulinum toxin - known at Botox - were found during a raid in an industrial estate in the north of the city.
Officers found 400 non-compliant dermal fillers, 320 non-compliant needles and cannulas and more than 180 vials of unlicensed and suspected illegally traded botulinum toxin.