To think that Aesthetic treatments in the UK need to be better regulated.

[Mazz1918]

My cousin is a nurse who now works as an aesthetician and is very successful in her business. I am a doctor training in medicine and my husband is a dermatology trainee.

My cousin regularly asks us about complications from patient's treatments. Often these customers have complex conditions and auto-immune conditions that they have denied out of fear of not being treated. Customers often do not disclose any medication they are on too as they are worried they will not be treated by her.

This got me curious and I began asking about what treatment she offers, the injections ect. She later told me there is an app called "faces" where she can get any treatments prescribed. I was very confused by this as this is definitely against any prescribing guidelines.

She logged onto the app and showed me lists of prescribers who are being paid 15-30 pounds to sign a single prescription. None of these UK prescribers are reviewing any of these patients beforehand although some state that they do in their bios. My cousin informed me this isn't true.

I was so shocked by this and still am. Aesthetics is so poorly regulated that anyone can download this app and have access to Botox treatments. It is unbelievable and quite frightening.

As a doctor I think it is necessary for me to complain to the prescribing regulators. This is a very unsafe practice. AIBU?

YANBU of course but I’m not sure it’ll stop people from seeking out these treatments around the rules. I was reading in the news a few days ago about a lady who died having a Brazilian butt lift Turkey, which it seemed to suggest she had gone to because there was a moratorium on doing them in the UK. It’s really grim that people are willing to put their lives at risk for cosmetic procedures.

But now you've told us all about the faces app so anyone can go ahead and do even more damage

If you truly are a doctor then you know you report.
And don’t advertise

If someone with contraindicating medical conditions does not tell the truth, then the practitioner is NOT liable. It’s on the patient who lied.

You should also report your cousin

are you really a doctor?

The beauty industry needs regulating, Botox needs eliminating. All these chemicals people inject into themselves is obscene.

People need to take responsibility for their choices, they can't keep on blaming everyone

I was so shocked by this and still am. Aesthetics is so poorly regulated that anyone can download this app and have access to Botox treatments. It is unbelievable and quite frightening.

Yes of course. The mess some of them are making of people's faces, then leaving them to live with the damage. Filler migration from bad placement, or eyelid ptosis after Botox.
Hyaluronidase being used for anything other than emergency- it will dissolve your own hyaluronic acid, and other adverse effects (support groups dedicated to hyaluronidase).

Badly trained people administering these treatments, or rushing. Injecting unnecessarily for the money.

All that is different from people not declaring medical conditions. As much as I dislike these beautician aesthetics they can't be blamed if someone has lied.

It's common knowledge that it's easy to get hold of Botox though (I could buy some tomorrow from a few sources), app or no app, so I'm surprised you didn't already know that, OP.

Prescriptions are a restrictive practice and should be abolished.