Research shows that young women in the UK feel that they are under constant scrutiny, which is causing increased anxiety
The British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) has reached a record level of 1000 members. There are many upcoming activities in the pipeline, and it is important to stay in the loop with the frequent posts on BACN social platforms, as well as the personal emails that are sent to members' accounts keep them informed with news and events, as well as the new content that is released every month. The key areas of activity are as follows:
- The new digital programme has been well received, with great feedback from members and lots of sponsors are signed up for the next 12 months. The programme ahead will feature prescribing, and the BACN has an exciting presentation, titled ‘Medico legal aspects of aesthetic medicine’, from Julie Charlton, who sits on the BACN board and who is a partner at Bevan Brittan LLP, which will cover topics such as what clinical risk is, complaints, medical law, consent, the Mental Health Act 1983, indemnity cover and disputes. This is definitely one for the calendar
- Competency framework: this has been a labour of love that the past year has unfortunately slowed down, but we are entering the final hurdle in completing this significant body of work
- Revised BACN Code of Conduct: board member Anna Baker has been reviewing, rewriting and modernising the BACN code so that it will be in line with how aesthetic practitioners perform professionally
- Restructuring the regional network and the role of regional leaders
- The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is still reviewing the options in regard to regulations, and, hopefully, the report will be available in June 2021.
The BACN is also encouraging its members to share their COVID-19 and lockdown experiences and challenges, including those who have worked on the frontline or in the vaccination hubs to vaccinate the UK public or the trials and tribulations of preparing medical aesthetic clinics to reopen only to have to close them again. Contact Gareth Lewis (glewis@bacn.org.uk) with your stories.
Congratulations go out to Sharon King, the BACN Vice Chair, who has gained the Royal College of Nursing Advanced Level Nursing Practice Credential (ALNP). She may be the first, but this is just the beginning, as others will follow to gain this prestigious credential. Well done, Sharon.
Reflection
Over 1 year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. Life as we knew it changed with this deadly virus that the science and medical communities knew little about. Most people thought it would be a short-lived interruption, rather than over a 12-month hiatus.
Now we know so much more. Many have been infected and affected in some way, we have all been traumatised by COVID-19. Death, isolation and mental health issues have taken their toll on a global scale. The pandemic has publicised, emphasised and forced us to face the existing inequalities across all areas of life. Polarised opinions and microaggressions were played out in 2020, and 2021 does not seem to be much different.
Violence against women has increased globally during the COVID-19 pandemic (UN Women, 2021). To mark International Women's Day on Monday 8 March 2021, Jess Philips, Labour MP and shadow minister for domestic violence, read out a list of the 118 names of women and girls killed in the UK during the past year where the perpetrator was a man who had either been charged or convicted. Those 118 names were someone's mother, sister, daughter, friend, cousin, neighbour and/or colleague.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) stated that, since the COVID-19 outbreak, all types of violence has intensified against women and girls (UN Women, 2021). Referring to it as the shadow pandemic, it has now launched a public awareness campaign (UN Women, 2021). Kate Winslet, through a public service announcement, urged the public to stay informed, so that those who are suspected to be victims of domestic abuse can be helped through listening, supporting and giving appropriate information (UN Women, 2021).
Body image issues
As nurses and as the lockdown roadmap leads us towards reopening clinics, we need to be aware that some of our patients' lockdown experiences will not have been easy and may have activated vulnerabilities that may not be visible. We must be prepared to listen and observe.
It has also been documented that body image issues have been triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to increased screen time and isolation. A recent report, conducted by the University of London's Gender and Sexualities Research Centre, found that young women in the UK feel that they are under constant scrutiny, which is causing increased anxiety (Gill, 2021). The research is based on findings from 175 young women and non-binary people aged 18–30 years. The report raises concerns that appearance standards are narrowing. Of the 175 people questioned, 90% stated that they used filters to change the shape of their nose, lips and jawlines, even out their skin tone and whiten their teeth before posting photos on social platforms (Gill, 2021).
Furthermore, in February 2021, the Beauty Demands blog discussed the negative effect that the pandemic has had and is having on body image. Stress and anxiety are causal factors in how men and women relate to how they feel about their bodies, which results in a more negative body image (Swami, 2021).
Vaccines and mitigating risk
With over 50% of the UK's population having received at least one dose of either the Pifzer BioNTech or Astra Zeneca vaccine at the time of writing, the Aesthetic Complications Expert (ACE) Group has published comprehensive guidelines on vaccinations, COVID-19 infection and soft tissue fillers complications (King, 2021). Although adverse effects following the vaccine are uncommon, it is still a risk that needs to be taken into consideration.
Obviously, the vaccine takes precedence, but informing the patient and planning treatments safely to mitigate the risk is paramount. These guidelines can be accessed from either the BACN or ACE Group website.
Lessons learnt from the pandemic
Over the past year, it has become evident that, on a micro level, we are resilient, and we want the inequalities that have been brought to the surface by the pandemic to finally be addressed.
It is also clear how important physical touch is, and everyone has missed seeing family and friends because of the restrictions of lockdown and social distancing.
Those who are parents know how difficult it has been with schools closing. It also took a young footballer to make the Government decide to tackle child hunger.
On a macro level, COVID-19 has caused worldwide devastation because of a failure of governance. This lack of co-ordination with world leaders resulted in an unbelievable death rate of over 2 million people. This also led to a mistrust of science and healthcare and misinformation and myths regarding vaccines, variants and public health measures. The outcomes of breaking or disregarding public health guidelines has also led to more spikes in infection rates, which has increased the pressure on health services and prolonged lockdowns.
As the UK begins to move towards relaxing these restrictions, we need to realise that, for us to truly combat COVID-19, we have to work together. The true cost of COVID-19 will continue to be felt for many years to come.