This means that from June, patients seeking non-surgical cosmetic procedures (NSCPs) like anti-wrinkle injections will be required to have a face-to-face appointment with a medical professional before starting treatment.

The ruling will mean that previous poor practices such as the issuing of bulk prescriptions to non-medical practitioners without assessment of the individual to which they are intended, will end. Nurses or midwives that are found continuing to operate in this way risk being struck off of the NMC register, removing their ability to practice.

With increasing numbers of people suffering the ill-effects of poorly administered NSCPs, the new guidance marks the beginning of a journey towards the safer use of injectable cosmetic products.

Both industry and Government bodies have been calling for tighter regulations on non-surgical cosmetic procedures for some time.

The British Beauty Council, alongside industry bodies such as the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), has been raising concerns regarding non-medics using prescribed injectable cosmetics with the UK Government since 2023, and was also successful in banning their use on patients aged under 18 years old via the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act in 2021.

The Council and the JCCP also pushed for this most recent ruling, having supported and inputted into the consultation with stakeholders by the NMC last year, which ultimately led to the new ruling.

More widely, we await a decision on the licensing of injectable cosmetic products and other non-surgical cosmetic procedures from the UK Government, following a consultation in Summer 2023. The Scottish Government has also announced its intention to regulate NSCPs, holding a similar consultation in 2024. The Council has contributed to both consultations and continues to engage with the UK Government to push for a timeline of commitment.

Of the new guidance, Victoria Brownlie MBE, Chief Policy and Sustainability Officer at the British Beauty Council said:

‘The British Beauty Council strongly welcomes the NMC’s new guidance which will provide much needed clarity to stamp out remote prescribing. We have long advocated for higher standards and greater public safety when it comes to non-surgical cosmetic procedures – especially when it comes to injectables. For us this means robust training, regulated qualifications, mandatory insurance, premises standards and inspections across all of the UK. This will instill greater public confidence in the treatments and services offered.’

Following on from the updated guidance, the NMC has updated its ‘useful information for prescribers’ guide, to help businesses adapt to the new rules.

David Sines CBE, Chair of the JCCP, echoed the need for better regulation, stating that:

‘The JCCP has campaigned rigorously for professional statutory regulators to embargo and sanction the use of remote prescribing for non-surgical elective procedures. We consider that the cessation of such practices is a central requirement to ensure patient safety and public protection within the context of any future scheme of statutory licensing and regulation for the aesthetics sector in the UK.

‘The JCCP in partnership with the British Beauty Council has persistently and consistently called upon the UK Government and the associated Government Professional Statutory Regulators responsible for the regulation of all UK Prescribers to prohibit the practice of remote prescribing for medicines used as part of any form of elective non-surgical cosmetic procedural process. This announcement is a significant step forward in public protection’.

If you have any questions regarding the new rules, the NMC’s guide can be found here.