Campaigners representing the cosmetic interventions industry met on Friday 4th May 2018, with the Prime Minister Theresa May, to discuss the current concerns within the cosmetic interventions industry.
Press Release Issued: London, Friday 4th May 2018: The meeting took place on Friday afternoon between the Prime Minister Theresa May, Dr Selena Langdon, an Aesthetic Doctor and Campaigner based in Berkshire, and Antonia Mariconda, Founder and Public Ambassador of The Safety in Beauty Campaign.
During the meeting, The Prime Minster heard from both representatives, the details of a report which set out five main areas of concern within the
cosmetic interventions industry, and called for regulation to be implemented on a mandatory basis.
The areas included a call for:
- Mandatory Regulation to be implemented which permit only suitably qualified medical professionals carrying out non-invasive aesthetic procedures.
- Tighter regulations to be implemented relating to the distribution and dispensing of prescription only medications and the introduction of safety and efficacy standards for aesthetic devices and products.
- Mandatory minimum insurance cover for all professionals working within the UK who perform cosmetic surgery and non-invasive aesthetic procedures.
- Mandatory regulation for all training and educational organisations teaching in the subject area of aesthetic procedures and interventions.
- Regulation to be implemented for appropriate patient selection and psychological screening.
The detailed report handed to the Prime Minster was written by The Safety in Beauty Campaign, and was presented and discussed by both Dr. Selena
Langdon and Antonia Mariconda.
The report included photographs of several botched patients who had undergone unsafe procedures by badly trained and inexperienced practitioners. An audit from The Safety in Beauty Campaign highlighted over 1,200 complaints made by the public in 2017, culminating in the industry being termed ‘at crisis point’ by Antonia Mariconda.
The concerns of many supporting medical professionals and organisations were voiced during the meeting, and included a letter written by Dr. Dan Dhunna on behalf of BAAND the newly formed (British Association of Aesthetic Nurses, Doctors, and Dentists) which was also presented by Dr. Selena Langdon, to the Prime minister during the meeting.
After hearing both representatives discuss the disappointments of extensive failed promises contained within a report issued by Sir Bruce Keogh in 2013, which pledged tighter regulation and a safer consumer experience; The Prime minister assured Dr. Langdon and Ms. Mariconda during the meeting that: “this will be passed to the Department of Health for investigation”.
Dr. Selena Langdon stated “I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to put my concerns and frustrations for public safety directly to the Prime Minister, and I feel that this direct meeting has allowed me to represent some of the frustrations both my medical aesthetic colleagues and I have faced for years at the lack of regard for proper training, education and regulation”
Antonia Mariconda, stated “I am delighted that The Safety in Beauty Campaign is the first and only campaign of its kind in the UK to have been given the opportunity to directly present to the Prime Minister, a vast array of complaints and cases received, our primary goal was to give the public a representative voice in demonstrating how the industry has become a cash lucrative wild west enticing thousands of unqualified and poorly trained cosmetic cowboys to enter the arena, our concern and major priority is public safety, and the potential for serious risks and complications is now at crisis point’
The meeting represent a breakthrough milestone in the campaign for regulation of the UK Cosmetic Interventions Industry.
This Press Release was reviewed and some statements updated on the 9th of May and the 14th May 2018.