Government to limit high-risk cosmetic procedures to be carried out by doctors only
The Government has said it will be cracking down on ‘cowboy’ cosmetic procedures with new rules over who will be able to carry them out.
Only qualified healthcare professionals will be able to perform the highest-risk procedures – such as non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts – and they must be working in providers that are registered with the Care Quality Commission.
The Department of Health and Social Care said clinics administering fillers and Botox will also need to meet strict standards to obtain a licence.
Stricter oversight will be done through local authorities with practitioners required to meet ‘rigorous safety, training, and insurance standards’ before they can legally operate.
It follows a series of incidents where people had dangerous complications, permanent scarring or even died after undergoing high-risk treatments from botched treatments done by individuals with little or no medical training.
Last year, 33-year–old mother-of-five Alice Webb died in an NHS hospital where she had been admitted feeling unwell after undergoing a non-surgical Brazilian butt lift that involves injecting dermal filler.
In June, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that lives were being put at risk every day due to a lack of regulation.
It uncovered fat injections, Brazilian butt lifts, Botox and fillers being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets as well as being sold online.
GPs were being left to pick up the pieces as people suffered infections and potentially life-threatening complications, the CTSI said.
It comes as the UK Health Security Agency continues to warn people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of botulism after Botox procedures. The number of clinically confirmed cases of iatrogenic botulism reported between 4 June and 6 August 2025 is now 41, it said today.
Announcing the proposed changes – which will go out for public consultation early next year – the Government said the new rules would protect people from unqualified, rogue operators and reduce the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.
Children will also be protected from dangerous beauty trends on social media through plans for new age restrictions on treatments, it added.
Minister of state for health Karin Smyth said: ’The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a Wild West of dodgy practitioners and procedures.
‘There are countless horror stories of cosmetic cowboys causing serious, catastrophic damage.
‘This isn’t about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it’s about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe.
‘We’re giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.’
Millie Kendall, chief executive officer of the British Beauty Counci,l said they welcomed the Government’s announcement they were pushing ahead with legislation.
‘Any measures that increase protection for the general public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector.’
Portfolio careers
What is the right portfolio career for you?
Visit Pulse Reference for details on 140 symptoms, including easily searchable symptoms and categories, offering you a free platform to check symptoms and receive potential diagnoses during consultations.
Related Articles
READERS' COMMENTS [1]
Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles
Misleading
Title says ‘to limit’ and ‘doctors only’.
While mage shows facial injection (implies botox).
Article in fact says ‘proposed changes’ ‘qualified healthcare professionals’ , ‘for public consultation’, and focuses on Brazilian butt lifts…