A beautician practising anti-wrinkle injections in the Scarborough area has been sentenced to 150 hours of community service after being arrested in May 2012 for fraud.
While it is not currently illegal for beauticians to administer botox, it is something the media and the industry frown upon.
However, the ‘crime’ she was sentenced for was for claiming that she had qualified in botox injections at a Harley Street school, even showing a certificate to some of her clients.
Patients paid as little as £90 for botox injections that the beautician had bought on the internet from a USA supplier. Treatments were carried out in their own homes.
The case arose when a client suffered swelling after having botox. Her solicitor referred her to the police who investigated the case and brought a case for fraud by false representation.
Assault charges were dropped because the courts could not prove that the swelling she experienced was caused by the Botox treatment. However, Judge Simon Jack said she would have faced prison had she caused her clients damage.
Botox Industry Regulation
Guidelines regulating the botox industry are set to tighten up.
Since the case, GMC guidelines have already changed so that botox must be prescribed by a doctor who has seen the patient, ending the practice known as remote prescribing which allowed unqualified staff such as beauticians to dispense a prescription medication without a doctor’s direct involvement.
The EU has published draft guidelines stating that injections should be carried out by medical professionals (i.e. doctors, dentists and prescribing nurses) in designated treatment rooms.
Meanwhile, the Keogh report in April 2013 also set out some specific guidelines for better regulating the industry, requiring dermal fillers to be a prescription only medication requiring qualifications for the injector.
Doctor-Led Botox Injections
Patients should be reassured that there are some excellent doctors who practice botox.
With a 14 year career in cosmetic treatments, Northampton doctor, Dr John Tanqueray, works at the forefront of the industry and even trains other medical professionals in correct use of injectable cosmetic treatments.
He established his own Mulberry House Clinic based in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire in 2003; which remains a doctor-led independent clinic. All cosmetic injections are personally carried out by Dr Tanqueray, including a thorough consultation beforehand which is provided free and without obligation.
Mulberry House Clinic offers a wide choice of the latest cosmetic, medical and laser skin treatments with highly professional service.
For further information or to arrange a confidential consultation, please call 01604 702630 or email: info@mulberryhouseclinic.co.uk.
