Experts call for increased measures in Ireland to deal with unregulated cosmetic treatments

A group of aesthetic medicine experts in Ireland have called on their government to respond to the unregulated use of botulinum toxin and other cosmetic treatments.

In a letter sent to all TDs (Teachtaí Dála), the group of 30 doctors has called for a range of measures to deal with non-medics administering botulinum toxin to their clients. The letter said as follows:

“We are growing increasingly concerned about the exponential rise of lay persons including hairdressers, nail artists, make-up artists etc. attending short one-day crash courses in ‘medical aesthetic procedures’, often in the UK, and setting up shop literally the next day, posing as ‘aesthetic medical practitioners’ or similar misleading titles.”

“These individuals are utilising highly sinister social media strategies to prey on vulnerable members of the public. They offer high-risk cosmetic medical procedures at bargain prices, often in unsanitary and unregulated premises.”

The letter calls for a number of measures – including the establishment of a dedicated regulatory body responsible for overseeing and monitoring aesthetic medicine practitioners.

They are also seeking a public awareness campaign on the issue, as well as the enforcement of strict penalties for individuals and businesses operating unlawfully or without qualifications, and greater collaboration between Government agencies and medical organisations to develop best practice guidelines for aesthetic procedures.

Dr Patrick Treacy, owner of the Ailesbury clinic, is concerned that the issues in Ireland are rapidly catching up with the UK. He believes dermal fillers should be made a prescription, to make it illegal for non-medics to inject.

Dermal fillers are currently classified as medical devices under EU regulations which became applicable in June.

“It’s just as bad as Britain now when it didn’t have to be. If the Government had done their job, it wouldn’t have gone that way, but these people are openly doing it because there’s nobody checking them,” he said.

“There seems to be absolutely no control over hairdressers and nail varnish technicians not only injecting botulinum toxin and fillers, but openly advertising it on Instagram. We’ve sent a lot of these examples to the Government, but they don’t seem to be willing to do anything about it.”

In response, a statement from the Department of Health said that the Health Products Regulatory Authority is ‘very concerned that members of the public would try to obtain and administer illegal supplies of injectable medicines’ and encourages the public to report any suspicions they may have about its use directly to the organisation.

The statement added that the Department and the HPRA is assessing the current regulation of dermal fillers in Ireland and ‘further consideration’ of future legislation may be taken on foot of this work.

“This implementing regulation also includes additional requirements in the instructions for use to state that dermal fillers ‘are not to be used in persons who are less than 18 years old’ and that they should only be administered by appropriately trained healthcare professionals,” it said.