Labour Minister Gareth Thomas has said that the Government is “due to respond as soon as possible” to the non-surgical cosmetic procedures consultation that closed in October of 2023.
Yesterday, April 23, saw a debate in parliament about the impact of government policy on the beauty, aesthetics and hair sectors.
Julia Lopez, Conservative MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, brought the debate to the house of commons, expressing concerns for small businesses over matters such as national insurance contributions, minimum wage increase and VAT.
Labour MP for Ribble Valley in Lancashire, Maya Ellis, raised the issue of regulation in the aesthetics sector, commenting:
“It is deeply concerning that aesthetic medicine, a medical speciality recognised by the Royal Society of Medicine, is often considered just another part of the hair and beauty sector.
“If it were cardiology or dermatology, there would rightly be huge concern over non-medical professionals performing high-risk procedures. Aesthetic treatments are not cosmetic extras; they can be invasive medical procedures with serious risks, including blindness, tissue necrosis and death.”
She referenced the death of 33-year-old Alice Webb, who passed away at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital following complications from a non-surgical liquid brazilian butt lift (BBL) back in September of 2024. Ellis also mentioned Save Face’s meeting with the Government where they discussed Webb’s story and potential solutions to stop untrained individuals from performing such procedures.
The MP further commented on training standards, having spoken to one of her constituents:
“Legitimate, medically trained professionals such as Dr Natalie [Haworth] undergo training built on years of foundational medical education, ethical standards and regulatory oversight. A three to seven-day course cannot replicate that.
“The increase in unreputable training providers across social media is increasingly worrying. We must look into training standards to rectify the situation.”
“Unregulated actors in this space lower the reputation of the whole industry, which in turn impacts the success of safe and legitimate services. We must, therefore, work to tackle the rise of unregulated cosmetic procedures.”
Ellis also called on Thomas to ask him to confirm if the previous consultation on non-surgical cosmetic procedures would be followed up on.
She concluded, “The NHS shoulders the burden. A&E departments are seeing increasing complications from fillers, botox and laser treatments that should have been managed in a clinical setting. The industry must not be overlooked. We need to support trained practitioners and advocate for women seeking treatments by prioritising the raising of standards across this dynamic sector.”
In response to her comments, Bradley Thomas, Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, also called for the Minister to confirm the progression of the aesthetic consultation.
Thomas responded, saying: “We are due to respond as soon as possible. The Department of Health is leading on that issue, so I hope she [Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth] will continue to watch this area and campaign on it going forward.”
