Regulation of Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures Set to be Tightened

The government is expected to report back soon on findings from a public consultation regarding a proposed licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England.

The government brought forward an amendment to the Health and Care Act 2022 which gives the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the power to bring a licensing scheme into force.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the purpose of the proposed scheme is to ensure that consumers who choose to have a non-surgical cosmetic procedure can be confident that the treatment they receive is safe and of a high standard. Under the scheme, practitioners will need to be licensed to perform specific procedures and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed.

Amongst the issues raised by the consultation was the question of whether there should be age restrictions on those receiving specified non-surgical procedures, in line with age restrictions on botulinum toxin injections, cosmetic fillers, tattoos, teeth whitening and sunbed use.