Initial findings from the Keogh Review, the committee set up to investigate the aesthetic medicine industry and its standards, have been released, the results of which show the need for greater regulation for the industry, particularly where non-invasive procedures are concerned.
Currently there is no law or industry regulation that makes qualifications to administer non-invasive procedures mandatory and this review is set to change that. It was also expected that only medical professionals (doctors, nurses and dentists) would be able to carry out the procedures however that tenet has so far not been decided upon.
In a burgeoning and ever-growing industry it’s important that standards are met and introducing regulation is one way of ensuring this will happen. It also provides the patient with an extra degree of trust and certainty, and offers better protection if things go wrong. On discussing these finding Sir Bruce Keogh said:
“All too often we hear of cases that shine a light on poor practices in the cosmetic surgery industry. I am concerned that some practitioners who are giving non-surgical treatments may not have had any appropriate training whatsoever. This leaves people exposed to unreasonable risks, and possibly permanent damage.
“Our research has shown that the public expect procedures that are so widely available to be safe, whereas they are largely unregulated.
“There is a clear need for better quality, recognised training for the people performing these operations. My review will make a number of recommendations for making sure people who choose to undergo these procedures are in safe hands.”
The review committee has also been examining possible regulation of industry advertising and how treatments and procedures are sold. This includes bulk and time-restricted deals, which encourage the patient (or customer) to buy quickly or more than they need.
BAAPS president Rajiv Grover welcomes these initial findings:
“We agree that specialised training is required and [it should be] certainly more extensive than the many widely-promoted weekend courses currently available, but aesthetic injectibles should only ever be provided by medical professionals.”
