The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) has proposed restricting “high-risk cosmetic and wellbeing procedures” to independent prescriber (IP) pharmacists, nurses and midwives, as well as doctors and dentists.
In a consultation launched today, the DH asked clinicians, regulators, businesses, the public and other experts for their say on the draft regulations before the plans go through the parliamentary process, which is currently planned for spring 2027.
Read more: RCPharm shares new position on pharmacists working in aesthetics
The procedures the DH plan to restrict to doctors, dentists and IPs include:
- cosmetic surgery, including filler procedures into any part of the body other than the face
- deep chemical peels
- dermal microcoring
- intravenous procedures
- specified high-risk laser and intense pulsed lights treatments
- non-resorbable facial fillers
- subcision
- blood procedures such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy
- those including the administration of an anaesthetic as a separate injection
Read more: DH to crack down on unregulated ‘cowboy cosmetic’ procedures
The government noted that the procedures would also be restricted to people aged 18 and over, with cosmetic surgery “restricted to doctors only”.
It added that breaching the regulations would constitute a criminal offence and doing so could lead to a “hefty unlimited fine”, a prison sentence of up to 12 months, or both.
“Dangerous loophole”
The DH said it hopes the proposed restrictions will close a “dangerous loophole that has seen ill-qualified practitioners working out of hotel rooms performing high-risk procedures without regulatory oversight”.
The consultation asks people whether they agree or disagree with the proposals, which procedures and professional groups should be included and the effect the changes would have on people and the businesses they work for.
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Minister of state for health Karin Smyth said the consultation is an “important next step in the process” to “ensure robust regulation that will underpin high standards and protect the public”.
“If you’re planning to undergo a major cosmetic procedure, you deserve to know you’re in safe hands – not risking your life with a rogue operator,” she added.
“Long-overdue”
British Beauty Council chief policy and sustainability officer Victoria Brownlie MBE called the proposals a “vital step” to “required regulation”.
And cosmetic doctor Leah Totton hailed the “welcome and long-overdue step towards protecting the public and safeguarding patients”.
“Medical practitioners have been calling for stronger regulation for years, and I hope these proposals mark a turning point in raising standards, protecting patients and restoring confidence in our industry,” she added.
Read more: Reports of unregulated ‘fat injections’ given in public toilets are ‘deeply alarming’, NPA warns
The consultation is open until January 13, 2027 and the questions can be seen in full here.
It comes after the Royal College of Pharmacy last month updated its position on pharmacists providing non-surgical cosmetic procedures, strengthening the emphasis on the “broader clinical responsibilities involved in delivering aesthetic treatments”.
And it follows the DH vowing last August that it would introduce “tough new measures” to crack down on “cowboy cosmetic procedures that have left people maimed, injured and in need of urgent NHS care”.
