'A young woman from Stafford nearly lost her life': MP and beautician welcome tighter regulation of industry
Plans to tighten regulation of cosmetic procedures have been welcomed by a leading West Midlands beautician.
Barbara Pointon, who had been campaigning with Stafford MP Leigh Ingham for more stringent rules for the industry, said new measures proposed by the Government would make patients safer.
The proposed reforms, which will now go out to consultation, mean that only qualified healthcare professionals will be allowed to carry out high-risk aesthetic treatments such as Brazilian butt lifts, with clinics required to meet strict new licensing and safety standards.
Lower-risk treatments like Botox and lip fillers will also be subject to tighter oversight under a new local authority licensing scheme.
Miss Ingham, who had been campaigning for the measures through her work on the all-party parliamentary group for the beauty industry, said the planned crackdown followed a series of incidents where people have had aesthetics treatments from people with little or no medical training, leading to dangerous complications and permanent scarring.
She said the new rules would protect people from unqualified, rogue operators and reduce the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.
Mrs Pointon, who runs the Medi-Spa 28 practice in the town, said for many years she had seen patients come to her after experiencing botched procedures elsewhere.
"!In one serious example, a young woman from Stafford nearly lost her life after a botched cosmetic injection by someone with no medical training left her rushing to A & E in sepsis," she said.
"These new rules will help stop that from happening and are a big step forward."
Miss Ingham said she would continue to push to ensure the industry was subject to clear, enforceable rules that put patient safety first.
