Letters from JAN: terminology matters

As editor, as opposed to having the Letters to JAN section this month, I would like to pass on a message from the head of our editorial board, Nurse Cheryl Barton.

Terminology matters in our field, as some words can be slightly misleading. As such, it is imperative that practitioners pay attention to the following:

The first point concerns the words ‘aesthetic industry’. While many aesthetic nurses do indeed work in the private and independent healthcare sector, the word ‘industry’ is not always relevant or appropriate for use.

The use of the word ‘non-medic’ can also mislead some. Non-medics should refer to all healthcare professionals who are not medical doctors. It should not be a term used to refer to beauty technicians or artisans. While some aesthetic interventions are non-surgical, many others are indeed of a strong surgical nature and require Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration.

Lastly, although it should be self-explanatory, ‘non-surgical’ does not entail ‘non-medical’. At its core, most things in relation to aesthetic procedures are, with no doubt, medical. In an upcoming JANcast (our journal's podcast) episode with Professor David Sines from the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), we also touch upon what ‘non-surgical’ means concretely.