A lack of regulation in the cosmetics industry has led to a “wild west”, MPs have warned. Picture:
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The government should immediately ban Brazilian butt lifters (BBLs), MPs said.
Ministers have been accused of “not moving fast enough” to introduce a licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, MPs’ Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has said.
A lack of regulation in the cosmetics industry has led to a “wild west” where patients undergo procedures in garden sheds, hotel rooms and public toilets, they warned.
The committee welcomed the government’s proposals to ensure that BBLs and other high-risk procedures are only carried out by specific health professionals.
He pointed out that this would act as a “de facto ban” on these procedures, which “pose a serious threat to patient safety”.
But a new WEC report says: “High-risk procedures such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift (BBL), which has resulted in deaths, should be banned immediately without further consultation.
“A licensing system for lower risk procedures, where only those who are properly qualified can perform them, should be introduced in this Parliament.”
The group of MPs added: “The government is not moving fast enough to introduce such a system.
“Currently, people without formal training can carry out potentially harmful interventions, putting the public at risk.”
Currently, there is no regulation on who can have non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as injectables, including fillers or botulinum toxin injections, often referred to as Botox, laser treatment or chemical peels.
“This has led to a ‘wild west’ in which processes have reportedly taken place in Airbnbs, hotel rooms, garden sheds and public toilets, resulting in many people being seriously harmed,” MPs wrote in their latest report.
One woman, Sasha Dean, gave tearful evidence during MPs’ inquest as she described how she was admitted to intensive care with sepsis and remained in hospital for five weeks after a BBL went wrong.
BBL is a non-surgical buttock augmentation where dermal fillers are injected to increase volume and shape the buttocks.
The committee also heard how mother-of-five Alice Webb, 33, from Gloucestershire, died after a wet BBL in September 2024.
The panel’s MPs suggested that more people are turning to cosmetic surgery for body image problems because of social networking and face-editing technologies.
The committee raised concerns about the effects of influences that “normalize” high-risk procedures.
Meanwhile, the group of MPs said the NHS should record data on cosmetic procedures carried out abroad.
Mother-of-five Alice Webb, 33, from Gloucestershire, died after a wet BBL in September 2024. Image: Facebook
In 2024, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would work to improve the safety of Britons traveling abroad for cosmetic procedures after several deaths.
WEC chair Sarah Owen said: “Procedures considered high risk, such as liquid BBLs and liquid breast augmentations, which have already been shown to pose a serious threat to patient safety, should be banned immediately.
“There is no need for further consultation and delay.
“A licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures should be introduced in this Parliament.
“The government is not moving fast enough to introduce a licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and should speed up regulatory action.
“Currently, people without formal training can carry out potentially very harmful interventions and often do so in unsafe environments.
“This ‘wild west’ of procedures puts the public at risk.”
Ms Owen added: “Regulation has not kept pace with the expansion of the industry.
“In 2013, the head of the NHS warned that a person having a non-surgical cosmetic procedure has no more protection than someone buying a toothbrush.
“More than a decade later, the only thing that has changed is the number of people suffering from life-changing and life-threatening injuries.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This Government is taking action to crack down on cosmetic cowboys and root out dangerous treatments.
“Our tough new measures will ensure that only qualified healthcare professionals can carry out the highest risk procedures.
“For anyone considering cosmetic surgery, check the provider’s qualifications and insurance – and avoid treatments that look suspiciously cheap.
“We will consider the Women and Equalities Committee report and respond fully in due course.”
