Further calls for cosmetic treatment regulation to be enacted

The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners has called on the Government to enact legislation to regulate cosmetic treatments.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Paul Charlson, who is an aesthetics doctor in East Yorkshire and member of the Joint Council for Cosmetics Practitioners (JCCP), warns there will be “more deaths and more disfigurement” unless the government “gets on with” enacting the legislation he helped to draw up alongside others across the industry.

“If the government said ‘we want this in in six months’, it could be done,” he said.

The JCCP said it had dealt with an “explosion in complaints” from local councils about poor practice in the sector. In 2023, it was aware of complaints from two local authorities, compared with 65 by the end of 2024.

In 2022, the Health and Care Act gave the government powers to introduce licensing for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. This is yet to be enacted.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson did not comment on Dr Charlson’s criticisms, but said it was “unacceptable” that people’s lives were at risk from “inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector”, and it was “urgently exploring options for further regulation”.

They urged anyone considering cosmetic procedures to find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner.