Scotland announces further regulation plans for aesthetic procedures
The British Beauty Council has welcomed the Scottish Government’s pledge to introduce legislation on non-surgical cosmetic (aesthetic) procedures after overwhelming to license certain practices and those who offer them.
The announcement in Scotland follows the recent commitment under the Health and Care Act 2022 to introduce similar regulation in England to licence practitioners and premises who carry out certain aesthetic procedures.
In 2020, the Scottish Government carried out a consultation on whether further regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures was necessary and if so, what changes should be made. The results of the consultation showed significant support for further regulation and have formed the basis of the plans they have now outlined. These include;
- introducing legislation to restrict who can administer dermal fillers;
- introducing secondary legislation to bring pharmacists who provide services outside of NHS contracts under the regulation of Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).
- Seeking to update existing legislation to license businesses that provide a wider range of non-surgical cosmetic procedures or body modifications which are currently unregulated.
Victoria Brownlie, Chief Policy Officer of the British Beauty Council commented: “This is great news for people in Scotland and public safety. We are making great headway in raising the reputation of the aesthetics industry to ensure that the public can have confidence in all those providing these services without fear of being ‘botched’. We look forward to contributing to discussions, as we are in the UK, on what such regulation should look like”.
As part of their announcement the Scottish Government has said further consultations are to be expected to seek views on other potential procedures that my need further regulation. The British Beauty Council will continue to engage with the Scottish Government as this work develops.
Full details of the Scottish Government’s consultation findings and their response can be found here.
