Botox and regulation

Dr Singh who runs his botox clinic in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in his latest blog talks about the crackdown on illegal botox practices.

Here is an interesting article regarding this that appeared in the London Evening website.

The “booming” cosmetic surgery industry has become an “everyday product” because of programmes such as The Only Way is Essex, health officials said.

An independent review into cosmetic procedures such as botox has concluded that cosmetic interventions have become “normalised”.

The group said there has been a “trivialisation” of procedures – influenced by TV programmes such as Towie, magazines and social media.

Plastic surgeon Simon Withey, who also sat on the review board, said: “Part of the reason there hasn’t been a change (following the PIP implant troubles) is because there has been this trivialisation of plastic surgery.

“I do think shows like this (Towie) do contribute towards this trivialisation and that failure to inform the public that there are risks and implications for these things.”

NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who chaired the review, added: “(An) area that is problematic is the trivialisation of cosmetic procedures – TV, magazines, social media, the internet – they all normalise it.

“They have turned cosmetic interventions into an everyday product.”

In 2010, people across the UK spent £2.3 billion on cosmetic procedures ranging from Botox^® to breast implants.

Nine in 10 cosmetic procedures are non-surgical treatments such as injectable anti-wrinkle treatments – botox.

But the review board, set up following the PIP breast implant scandal, said they were “surprised” to learn that non-surgical treatments are almost entirely unregulated.

The group said there has been “explosive growth” in the market for dermal filler treatments, which involve injecting a gel-like substance into wrinkle sites.

The products, which are also used to plump up lips, should be made prescription only, the review board said.

In the US, where the items are “properly regulated”, there are just 14 items on the market, but across Europe there are 190 different types of fillers available, the review found.

Officials said the treatments, which are readily available over the internet, are currently regulated alongside items such as electric plugs, but should be classed as medical devices.

“A person having a non-surgical cosmetic intervention such as botox has no more protection and redress than someone buying a ball-point pen or a toothbrush.”

Botox^® is already a prescription-only medicine, but Sir Bruce conceded that the legal restraints on the injections are “not being properly adhered to” and “all sorts of people are giving Botox^®“.

“People are ordering it on the internet and giving it to themselves, giving it to their friends, there are botox parties,” he said.

“It’s not controlled as well as it might be.”

The review board also called for all people who provide cosmetic procedures to undergo formal qualifications and to be signed up to a register.

The report also made a number of other key recommendations, including extending the remit of the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman to cover the private healthcare sector and the collection of more data surrounding cosmetic procedures so future scandals can be spotted earlier.

GPs should also be informed of treatments so if something goes wrong they know exactly what to treat, the report added.

For more information about botox hertfordshire, please call us on 0800 006 2266.