The Unsafe, Unregulated Cosmetic Industry
Having worked within the field of cosmetic dermatology and cosmetic injectable treatments for almost twenty years, our medical director, Sue Ibrahim is seeing a sharp increase in the number of botched cosmetic procedures that are being carried out by beauticians, who claim to be ‘qualified’ in Botox and skin fillers.
Let us not forget that Botox is a prescription only medication that can only be prescribed by doctors and nurses with an additional prescribing qualification. This begs the question as to how these beauticians are getting hold of Botox in the first place?
At Elan Medical Skin Clinic we only prescribe medications following a full consultation, including a clinical assessment, diagnoses and discussion of treatment options available, including no treatment at all. We assess the psychological as well as the physical needs of the people in our care. In short, we believe that these treatments are medical procedures not just a beauty treatment.
With a Dermatology Nurse Consultant you know your face is in a safe pair of hands.
In the UK, all doctors must be registered with The General Medical Council and all nurses must be registered with The Nursing and Midwifery Council. As healthcare professionals we are fully accountable to these bodies, which means that if we act inappropriately we risk being ‘struck off’, no longer able to practice. All registered doctors and nurses must, by Law, hold indemnity insurance for the procedure they carry out. They must also provide evidence to their regulatory bodies that they receive on-going professional development.
Beauticians have no regulatory body, they are accountable to no one. They often work un-insured in non-clinical environments. Beauticians do not have the medical background to carry out medical consultations and clinical assessments prior to treatment. In many cases, treatments are undertaken without any discussion of the complications than can occur following treatment and what is worse is that, very often, the beautician is not even aware of the harm that can be caused if products are injected incorrectly.
At Elan Medical Skin Clinic we have an extremely low complication rates but we are constantly updating our medical skills so that if a complication does occur, we recognise it instantly and can prescribe and administer effective remedies instantly. Beauticians can be taught to recognise complications when they occur but they are unable to prescribe and treat these complications. This inevitably causes a delay in remedial treatment, leaving the client, YOU, at risk of further damage.
Elan Medical Skin Clinic is registered with The Care Quality Commission and Sue Ibrahim is also registered with The British Association of Cosmetic Nurses and a regular contributor to The Safetyinbeauty Campaign.
You only have one face, one body, so please think very carefully when choosing where and who to go to for your next cosmetic treatment. And remember, good treatments are never cheap and cheap treatments are never good.
