Fat injections, Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), Botox and fillers are being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets, officials have warned.
Trading standards leaders say there is a need for urgent government action over a “wild west” of unregulated and unlicensed practitioners and treatments, as well as where they can be offered.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said it uncovered “shocking” locations where procedures such as fillers are being administered, including “pop-up” shops on high streets, cubicles in public toilets and hotel rooms.
It said these locations fall outside typical business premises, making taking action difficult.
The CTSI also said “unsafe and unregulated” fillers were available for sale online for as little as £20.
It also noted growing concerns over fat-dissolving injections, such as Lemon Bottle, which have “little to no regulatory oversight to ensure their safe use by the public”.
It said there was a “postcode lottery” across the UK in the minimum age at which such procedures can be carried out, with young people crossing borders for treatment.
The CTSI said lives could be at risk amid the “major gaps” in regulation on who is responsible for the products and procedures.
It claims there is no data available on how often the NHS is having to deal with infections and life-threatening complications when things go wrong.
The CTSI warned the public to check the qualifications of people offering cosmetic procedures, to be wary of people advertising on social media and urged them not to buy products to use at home.
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‘Lives are being put at risk every single day’
Kerry Nicol, external affairs manager at the CTSI, said: “I am genuinely shocked by the scale of potential harm facing the public due to the alarming lack of regulation in the aesthetic industry. Consumers’ lives are being put at risk every single day.
She added: “Alarm bells would ring if someone was offering a tattoo in someone’s kitchen or a public toilet at a cheap price – so those are the alarm bells we need ringing for people offering facial injections in these kinds of settings.”
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Regulations ‘inadequately policed and enforced’
Ashton Collins, director at Save Face, a register of accredited practitioners, said: “Since 2023, we have been campaigning for the government to ban liquid BBLs from the high street and restrict their administration to qualified plastic surgeons.”
She added: “For too long, regulations intended to safeguard patients have been inadequately policed and enforced.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “People’s lives are being put at risk by inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector, which is why the government is looking into new regulations to protect people.
“The safety of patients is paramount and we urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner.”
