"BEAUTY treatment lovers in Liverpool are playing fast and loose with their health, new research has revealed.
"A shocking 1 in 4 non-surgical treatment patients from the city who were surveyed have trusted untrained friends or acquaintances to treat them with procedures such as dermal fillers and chemical peels.
"Research carried out by the UK’s leading provider of cosmetic surgery and non-surgical treatments, shows one in six admit to being treated by a third party, such as a hairdresser, and startlingly, had no idea if they were appropriately trained to perform the procedure – stripping them of the chance to know if the treatment is right for them.
"Despite 71 percent of respondents believing it is important that a practitioner is adequately qualified to perform non-surgical treatments, a whopping one third (36 percent) of non-surgical treatment patients from Liverpool would undergo dermal fillers, cosmetic dentistry (22 percent) and even Botox (14 percent) from a practitioner who was not appropriately qualified to perform the treatment – putting themselves at risk.
"More worrying still, almost a quarter (23 percent) of respondents have had a treatment at a local beauty salon, and 1 in 12 have had a procedure at a friend’s home – showing that people aren’t opting to undergo treatments in a clinical environment.
"The research was commissioned to highlight the need for a new Charter for the non-surgical cosmetics industry, which Transform is developing to demonstrate its own commitment to the highest standards of patient care and to set a benchmark for the sector. Ahead of Professor Keogh’s Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, Transform is hoping regulations will be introduced to match these standards, offer better protection for patients and drive out the cowboys within the industry.
"The non-surgical treatments industry, which encompasses treatments such as Botox and dermal fillers, is currently worth more than £1.7 billion2 and the cospmetic surgery company is concerned about the increase in patients undergoing treatment in less than sterile environments, delivered by unqualified practitioners.
"In fact, almost two thirds (61 percent) of those surveyed do not think that the industry is regulated and that enough is being done to protect the person receiving treatment – with a third having felt nervous or frightened before, during and after the procedure they underwent."
