It’s hard to get away from the cosmetic surgery industry when procedures such as botox and fillers are being ‘normalised’ by reality TV shows like The Only Way is Essex, along with social media, magazines and pop-up adverts, we see even on Facebook and in our everyday lives.
The industry is currently worth £2.3bn and estimated to grow to £3.2bn in the next two years.
This week, Britain’s most senior doctor Sir Bruce Kheo has called for a crackdown on the cosmetic surgery industry, with regulations on who can perform procedures and regulations on the injections themselves, as well as tightening controls on the industry’s marketing.
After last year’s PIP scandal, where thousands of women were thought to have faulty breast implants, the Government needs to intervene and put regulations in place, as there are even more shocking examples of bad practice.
However, with increasingly popular treatments such as dermal fillers now available online for anyone to buy, it is a disaster waiting to happen. If the recommendations of Sir Bruce Kheo are put into practice these products, along with others, will only be available by prescription and carried out by qualified and registered professionals.
Kheo suggests that these injections must be covered by the medical devices regulation, sooner rather than later, before these injections become as easy to buy as a toothbrush or everyday moisturiser.
Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said “There is a significant amount of people falling into the hands of cowboy firms,” whose aim is to make a quick profit, confirming there is a need for more regulation, no longer overlooked.
We must protect each other. The industry was formed to build our self-esteem and self-image, not to ruin it with mistakes that could have been prevented by a few regulations being put to action.
What’s your opinion? Should regulations be put into place? If you agree please sign the cosmetic surgery regulation petition, before more harm than good is done.
Let us know your opinion by commenting below.
