A Stafford-based business owner and a local MP are celebrating Government reforms to crack down on dangerous beauty procedures.
Barbara Pointon, of Medi-Spa 28, and Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, have been working to raise awareness about the lack of regulation in the beauty and aesthetics sector and calling for Government action.
Reforms announced last week mean that only qualified healthcare professionals will be allowed to carry out high-risk aesthetic treatments such as Brazilian Butt Lifts, with clinics required to meet strict new licensing and safety standards. Lower-risk treatments like Botox and lip fillers will also be subject to tighter oversight under a new local authority licensing scheme.
The planned crackdown follows a series of incidents where people have had aesthetics treatments from people with little or no medical training, leading to dangerous complications and permanent scarring. These new rules will protect people from unqualified, rogue operators and reduce the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.
Harley Street-trained Barbara said: “For years we’ve seen people come to us after experiencing botched procedures elsewhere. In one serious example, a young woman from Stafford nearly lost her life after a botched cosmetic injection by someone with no medical training left her rushing to A&E in sepsis. These new rules will help stop that from happening and are a big step forward.”
“I’m proud to be working with Leigh on this, and I’m so pleased to see real change that will protect the public and raise standards across our industry.”
The Stafford MP helped to secure the reform through her work on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Beauty (APPG).
She said: “For over a decade, previous governments failed to act, while the risks kept growing. That’s why I’ve pushed for reform through the Beauty APPG and worked closely with professionals like Barbara to bring Stafford’s experience and expertise on these issues to Westminster.
“The Government’s reforms are a vital step forward, and I’ll keep pushing to make sure we get clear, enforceable rules that put patient safety first.”
The new regulations will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny before they are introduced.
