Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, has called on the Government to introduce greater regulations concerning the non-surgical cosmetic industry, involving procedures such as Botox, dermal lip fillers and chemical peels.

During a debate in the House of Commons on 14 May 2019, Costa also requested a law that will see a minimum age of 18 for those who wish to undergo cosmetic surgery procedures. The call for action comes during the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week (13 - 19 May).

His speech follows the launch of a new campaign from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The patient-focused campaign is intended to create greater awareness among the public over the importance of seeking professional advice before undergoing cosmetic surgery and cosmetic procedures.

The campaign, produced in association with our petition partners Save Face and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), seeks to direct people to advice on the NHS website as part of their research into procedures. The guidance will focus on the most popular treatments such as Botox, dermal fillers, breast augmentation, liposuction and laser hair removal.

Costa said: “While I welcome the Government’s new awareness campaign, unfortunately it does not go far enough. There are clear and obvious gaps in the legislation in this industry, and these must be addressed for the protection of consumers.

“We must also be mindful that social media has a huge influence on procedures such as dermal fillers and Botox; these are predominantly aimed at the young and impressionable in society, hence why the introduction of a minimum age for these procedures would be a great step towards tackling the pressures many young people feel about how they look, and the perceived need to aspire to particular appearance ideals.

“I will continue to champion this issue in order to press for regulation to ensure my constituents and others can safely purchase and receive these procedures with peace of mind.”

At Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors, we’ve been calling for the need for greater regulation of the non-surgical cosmetic industry for a long time, and so we welcome the voice Costa is giving to this issue by raising it on a national platform. We hope that with his words, and through the campaigning work from organisations such as Save Face and the JCCP, the Government will move quickly to introduce these much needed regulations as soon as possible.

In the meantime, at Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors we believe that information is key to helping would-be patients make better informed decisions. We also believe that there should be greater protections put in place to protect vulnerable individuals, which is why we’re campaigning to introduce an age restriction on content posted by Instagram influencers that depicts the results of cosmetic procedures and treatments.

Find out more about the campaign here and sign our petition to the government here.