The JCCP has reacted to a “devastating investigation” by The Times by calling for an immediate change in the law to impose regulations on the aesthetics industry.

The Times newspaper found at least three practitioners using cheap versions of Botox that are not licenced in the UK – not as devastating as it may seem – but worrying none-the-less.

Today the JCCP calls for: “….the statutory regulation of cosmetic treatments involving injectables, fillers, invasive lasers, ‘deep’ peels and other invasive treatments and says these should only be administered by regulated healthcare professionals.”

It’s way more action than the response of Cosmetic Couture CEO Maxine McCarthy who this morning reacted to The Times report by saying the industry needs a “shake-up”.

Maxine says we should see licensing of premises and requirements for set training and education standards but unlike the JCCP she believes all practitioners should have the right to achieve those standards – and not just leave the industry to medical professionals.

She said: “I’ve been in the industry for 13 years and have seen so many of these investigations and also the whole range of bad practices. We know there are loads – and it’s just giving the professionals in the industry a bad name.

“The investigations showed practitioners using illegal anti-wrinkle products but we all should know it’s illegal to advertise any Botox products because they’re prescription only medicines and that there are only a few brands that have passed UK tests.

“The industry has exploded over the years and 100s of Forums are full of stories about cheap products being used by poorly trained practitioners.

“People speak openly about using these unlicensed products. It’s shocking and gives non-medics a bad name.

“My advice is always to be professional and work within the law.  Only use a registered brand which has a CE mark and is approved by the MHRA and only ever use a registered prescriber.

“And don’t advertise Botox – it’s illegal.”

The JCCP calls for immediate changes to the law are likely to fall on deaf ears with a Government more pre-occupied with the Partygate scandal, rising fuel costs and cost-of living crisis and huge shortages of staff and pressures on the NHS. The last thing they will want is to see hoards of doctors and nurses leaving healthcare to fill a gap on the high street by loads of non-medics suddenly unable to treat the millions of people who want Botox and fillers.

The JCCP today said: “The JCCP operates a voluntary practitioner register which is accredited by the Government’s Professional Standards Authority, which is accountable to Parliament, and believes there should be national, mandatory education and training standards for all practitioners in the industry. It is also calling for a framework of statutory regulation to ensure that practitioners who cannot meet the required standards for safe and effective practice will not be able to practise legally.”

Professor David Sines CBE, the Chair and Registrar of the JCCP said: “After discussion with practitioners, consumers, patients, stakeholders and politicians we are today calling for the Government to immediately introduce legislation to regulate the non-surgical aesthetic sector in the UK. We have concluded that in the interests of patient safety and public protection, high-risk and potentially harmful and invasive procedures, such as the injection of toxins, deep penetrative lasers, the administration of dermal fillers and the intravenous application of vitamins and ‘platelet rich’ plasma should only be administered by appropriately trained healthcare professionals.”

He said the JCCP receives “….an average of more than thirty complaints and ‘issues of concern’ each week regarding unsafe practice associated with treatments, medicines and the supply of aesthetic products and the training standards and qualifications that many practitioners present with.” 

And he called on MPs to support an amendment to the Health and Care Bill currently going through parliament – although this was recently shown to be an unsuccessful tactic when attempts to regulate the aesthetics industry suffered a major setback.

Despite an “Urgent call” from the JCCP to support a clause to bring in licencing to the industry, the amendment wasn’t even put to the vote as it was considered to be “deficient” and “….not perfectly crafted”.

And one MP blasted the entire process of attempting regulation, highlighting the fact we have been trying for regulation for eight years and nothing has changed or is even looking like changing.