Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

Experts from the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service (IHAS) have launched a fresh bid to stamp out those offering cut-price Botox to unsuspecting consumers.

The IHAS has already set up Treatments You Can Trust – a database service that offers consumers an easy way to find registered and reputable clinics offering injectable treatments. Experts from the organisation are now going a step further; meeting health workers and government representatives this week to agree measures that, when implemented, will help to cut down on the number of rogue Botox practitioners.

The action has been prompted by a boom in those visiting unregulated practitioners to get cheaper treatment and being left with lumps, bumps, and serious infections.

Sally Taber, director at the IHAS, told The Sun: “It is very dangerous. You are putting your lives in the hands of someone who does not know what they are doing or what could happen. We have seen a rise in unqualified practitioners masquerading as professionals.”

Botox and other dermal fillers should only ever be injected by doctors, nurses or dentists, in other words, experts that have been properly trained and regulated.

With treatments such as Botox now being a normal part of many peoples’ beauty regimes, the industry has launched a new voluntary register to make it easier for Botox users to find accredited clinics to carry out the delicate treatments.

Those searching for reputable clinics to have the wrinkle relaxing treatments can now check whether or not the provider is listed on the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) registry.

NDTV reports that around 200,000 people get the non surgical treatments each year, with around 5,000 providers offering the service. This has caused increasing demand for Botox to be subject to the same regulations as other forms of cosmetic surgery treatments, to ensure people are in good hands.

“The consumers will need to look out for the quality mark which will assure them that if they go to that place, they’ll get a properly clinically trained person and also proper cleanliness in the facilities,” explained Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen of IHAS.

Although IHAS accreditation is not a guarantee of safety, Botox users could drastically reduce their risk of complications from the treatments when they look for the IHAS logo, which NDTV compares to a clinic “getting a safety certificate.”

IHAS accreditation is voluntary, this means that the onus is on Botox users to ensure that the clinics they visit have chosen to pursue the quality mark, and have proven themselves worthy.