It is alarming and of course distressing to hear of cases where people have suffered as a result of non-surgical cosmetic procedures going wrong.
The current gaps in regulation means that anyone can perform most of these procedures without the need for any formal training or qualifications.
As Minister for Public Health this is something I am working hard to address.
Like me, Herald readers will probably have read or heard about reports from people who have experienced complications due to non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as facial dermal fillers or ‘Brazilian butt lifts’.
READ MORE:
- VIDEO What's it like to undergo Scotland's newest skin-tightening treatment?
- The Herald goes inside Scotland's booming cosmetic sector - Read all the articles here
- 'It'll take someone dying': Inside 'wild west' of Scotland's unregulated cosmetic sector
The non-surgical cosmetic sector is a fast-changing industry. It continues to expand as new procedures that pierce and penetrate the skin become available.
Independent healthcare clinics in Scotland are already regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, but this is a sector that across the UK is not, as yet, fully regulated.
I want to change that; to close the current gaps in regulation to keep people safe when they choose these procedures.
The Scottish Government is considering what requirements can be put in place to reduce the potential for harm from riskier procedures and ensure this is a safer sector for everyone.
Therefore, we want to make sure procedures are carried out by appropriately qualified and skilled practitioners and that clients know that too.
Clearly any proposed regulation, for example licensing, will of course be carefully considered, including the impact on existing businesses.
But we know we do need to implement changes to keep people safe.
For example, the existing regulation of healthcare professionals offering these procedures, and licensing requirements for other procedures that pierce and penetrate the skin, such as skin piercing and tattooing, stipulate mandatory health and safety requirements to ensure the environment is fit for purpose.
We must get any potential regulation right by making sure we capture the full range of non-surgical cosmetic procedures already available, as well as providing for any new ones in the future.
That is why we are working with a range of stakeholders to make sure we get those details right.
We are having wide ranging and positive discussions with the Scottish Cosmetic Interventions Expert Group, which includes beauty industry representatives, environmental health officers and healthcare professionals, among others.
This group also wants to ensure people are safe.
We will develop a framework for practitioners so they can undertake the necessary training and gain the appropriate qualifications to safely perform these procedures.
In the meantime, I would strongly advise anyone who is considering a non-surgical cosmetic procedure to research this fully.
Do not be afraid to ask questions to make sure the experience is as safe as possible such as is the practitioner qualified to administer the procedures?
Where did they get their training and qualifications? Are the premises hygienic? What product is the practitioner using? How will they manage any complications or aftercare?
If someone wants to get Botox, it is important to know that it is a prescription-only medicine which requires a consultation with a prescriber who is a healthcare professional, so people should know who the prescriber is.
It’s also important to make sure that the practitioner has the correct indemnity cover.
Ultimately, the Scottish Government’s goal is to ensure that robust and proportionate regulation is introduced to ensure that the sector can deliver these procedures safely.
The most important thing is the people involved, and we want to ensure that should they choose to have these procedures, they can do so with the confidence they will be safe.
Jenni Minto is Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel