Training in aesthetics and the future landscape

Dr Vikram Swaminathan Dr Jalpesh Patel

The non-surgical cosmetic injectable sector has shown tremendous growth over the past decade; however, the lack of regulation has opened this market to practitioners with a variety of backgrounds and training, ranging from highly qualified consultants in dermatology to newly trained beauty therapists. With procedures that involve a number of risks, some of which being potentially catastrophic, it was invariable that the spectrum of practitioners providing these treatments and the training they had received would eventually be scrutinised.

With stricter regulations in sight and improving education standards, the future of the aesthetic sector looks bright

In 2013, Keogh released a report, published by the Department of Health and Social Care, detailing the concerns regarding the regulatory landscape, where it was felt that ‘a person having a non-surgical cosmetic intervention has no more protection and redress than someone buying a ballpoint pen or a toothbrush’ (Keogh, 2013). Subsequently, Health Education England (HEE) were mandated by the Department of Health and Social Care to work with professional statutory regulators, royal colleges and other stakeholders to review the qualifications required for non-surgical cosmetic interventions and the qualifications required to be responsible prescribers and to make recommendations on accreditation of qualifications and course delivery (HEE, 2015b). This led to the publication of Part one: qualification requirements for delivery of cosmetic procedures: non-surgical cosmetic interventions and hair restoration surgery and Part two: report on implementation of qualification requirements for cosmetic procedures: Non-surgical cosmetic interventions and hair restoration surgery (HEE, 2015a; HEE, 2015b).