UK cosmetics clinic group Sk:n is backing a push for the government to impose stricter regulations for beauty procedures.
By joining forces with the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), the company hopes to accelerate better standards for businesses administering aesthetic treatments.
JCCP supports that all anti-wrinkle and injectables should be administered by General Medical Council and Nursing Midwifery Council-registered practitioners, and has launched its Ten Point Plan to enforce better regulations.
Currently, there are no requirements by practitioners to follow best practice guidance, no legal requirement for practitioners to provide treatments safely, nor is there a record of those who are providing treatments in the UK, according to the JCCP.
“The JCCP has established a very positive relationship with Sk:n over many years,” said JCCP’s Chairman, David Sines.
“Experts from Sk:n have been actively engaged since 2016 in assisting the JCCP to develop a number of its published standards and have contributed extensively to broader debates about regulation and patient safety.”
Meanwhile, Darren Grassby, CEO of Sk:n, said his team is “passionate” about safeguarding members of the public who choose to have cosmetic procedures.
‘Complete absence’ of standards
The announcement follows a report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing (BAW APPG), which condemned the legal framework for cosmetic procedure standards and qualifications.
Authors Carolyn Harris MP and Judith Cummins MP lambasted the ‘complete absence’ of regulations over Botox, filler and other non-surgical treatments, claiming that customers are being put at risk and the lack of standards undermines the industry’s ability to develop.
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“Concerningly, regulation varies throughout the UK, and is fragmented, obscure and out of date,” Harris and Cummins told Cosmetics Business.
“In England, the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 gives powers to local authorities to adopt a registration scheme for four ‘special treatments’ (acupuncture, tattooing, ear piercing and electrolysis). In London, specific powers allow authorities to require licences and set licensing conditions for a slightly wider range of treatments.
“Separately, malpractice can be penalised under various health and safety laws.
“In Wales, as of April 2020, the Public Health Wales Act regulates the licensing of several non-surgical procedures, such as tattooing, semi-permanent skin colouring, cosmetic piercing, acupuncture and electrolysis.
“However, it does not cover advanced aesthetic non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as Botox or dermal fillers,” they added.