The clampdown on cosmetic procedures is too late for me

New restrictions to crack down on practitioners of cosmetic “tweakments”, such as Botox and dermal fillers, as well as higher-risk procedures like liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), will be introduced by the government.

- CHARLOTTE CRIPPS

It follows a long list of nightmare scenarios, where people have been treated by practitioners with little or no medical training, resulting in dangerous complications, including permanent scarring, as happened to me, or even death.

According to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, complaints are through the roof, with reports of “rogue operators” carrying out operations on kitchen tables, administering dangerous injections in people’s sitting rooms, hotels, and popup clinics - and even public toilet cubicles.

Karin Smyth, a health minister who is determined to put an end to the backstreet cosmetic industry, said new regulation of beauty practitioners will “root out the cowboys” and support “honest and competent” practitioners. “The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a Wild West of dodgy practitioners and procedures,” she said. “This government is taking action.”

Under the new proposals, only qualified health professionals will be able to carry out risky nonsurgical BBLs, and clinics will need to meet strict rules to obtain the necessary licensing to offer Botox and fillers.