Warning over ‘Wild West’ of unregulated cosmetic treatments

Unregulated cosmetic procedures are taking place in ‘pop up’ shops on high streets, in public toilets and hotel rooms, according to a warning from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said the reports resonated with concerns from pharmacists of patients accessing ‘high risk medications’, such as weight loss jabs, from unregulated sources.

The CTSI, which supports the UK’s trading standards profession, has today called on the government to take urgent action over unregulated treatments being given in unlicensed premises and by unqualified practitioners.

It is calling for regulation to clamp down on providers of aesthetic procedures such as fat injections, Brazilian Butt Lifts, Botox and fillers – warning the public that there is a ‘Wild West of untrained, unlicensed and uninsured individuals who may be putting lives in danger’.

Members of the CTSI have warned of ‘shocking locations’ where cosmetic procedures such as fillers are being administered, including ‘pop up’ shops on high streets, cubicles in public toilets and hotel rooms.

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‘These locations fall outside of typical business premises and makes taking action against unscrupulous businesses and practitioners much more difficult,’ the CTSI said.

It also suggested that with the growing popularity of regulated weight-loss medications, it was concerned about some fat dissolving injections which do not fall under the remit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Other issues reported by members included ‘unsafe and unregulated filler products readily available for sale online to everyday consumers for as little as £20’ and a ‘postcode lottery across the UK in the minimum ages at which such procedures can be carried out’.

The CTSI suggested there were ‘major gaps in regulation’ and a ‘lack of clarity on who is responsible’ for products and procedures, and that there was ‘no collation’ of data that showed the burden placed on services dealing with any complications from these products.

The institute is now working with a coalition of national charities, urging the government to ‘get a grip with these issues before more lives are put at risk’.

And it is calling for a licensing scheme to help regulate the sector, the establishment of a ministerial led government task force, extension of underage legislation to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and removal of unsafe products sold online.

Chair of the NPA Olivier Picard said the findings were ‘deeply alarming’.

‘They resonate with countless reports from pharmacists of patients accessing high risk medication such as weight loss injections from unregulated sources including beauty salons or sellers on social media,’ he said.

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‘We’re urging people to avoid using unlicensed treatments, which could pose a serious risk to their health and instead speak to their pharmacist if they have concerns.

‘Medication from unregulated sellers could be fake, swapped for an alternative medication and not meet rigorous safety standards we have in the UK.

‘Medicines are not like ordinary goods for sale online, they must be handled with great care because they have the power to harm as well as to heal.’

He said the NPA was continuing to urge regulators to ‘reintroduce pre-Brexit rules that made a list of regulated online medicine sellers in the UK publicly available’.

‘We think this will provide a helpful tool for patients to understand how to find a regulated, safe online pharmacy,’ added Mr Picard.

In April, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) said it had received concerns that some unregulated cosmetic products being supplied in pharmacies have ‘potentially caused serious harm’.

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The regulator also said it had ‘recently taken statutory enforcement action against some registered pharmacies supplying medicines that have been prescribed by prescribers working for unregulated online platforms’.

Richard Knight, CTSI lead officer for cosmetics and beauty, said: ‘Trading Standards have warned that in most cases the products and services in the aesthetics injectable sector are unregulated.

‘Because of the big gap between the lack of hard and fast safety rules, and consumer expectations of their protection under the law, we are gathering evidence of harms to the public as part of a joint initiative to urge law-makers to adopt a cross-government approach to tackling this Wild West situation.’