‘I Thought It Was All Above Board And Legit’: One Person’s Account Of The Loopholes Of Lip Fillers In Lockdown

With the news that mostly all beauty services will be able to operate once more post-lockdown as of August 1 (read up on the full details and guidelines right here) the rules surrounding aesthetic treatments and tweakments like Botox and lip filler appointments have, to this point, been murky. Many were asking 'Can I book in for my lip filler appointment?' and 'What about Botox?'. The answers weren't clear but along with the rest of the beauty industry, the aesthetics industry shut up shop during lockdown until they were told otherwise. Well, some did. One client's experience in lockdown sheds light on an interesting loophole that some clinics and practitioners look to have been taking advantage of.

The Loopholes Of Lip Fillers In Lockdown

Many had become used to routine tweakment appointments pre-lockdown and the sudden disruption to said routine came as a shock. One regular (who would like to remain anonymous) spoke to Grazia about their own experience. ‘I originally had an appointment for lip filler treatment scheduled in for around five months ago. This appointment was then cancelled when COVID-19 hit and I was told I’d be contacted again when it was safe to re-schedule.’

Later on, when the government announced that hair salons would be allowed to re-open from July 4, the clinic got touch to re-book. ‘In late June, I had a call from the nurse who would be administering the lip filler injection at the Harley Street clinic and she booked me in for a new appointment time. I assumed they had been given the green light from the government and it was my understanding that because the treatment was considered medical they had been given the go-ahead to reopen along with hair salons. I thought it was all above board and legit. I trusted that they were the experts and were aware of the most up-to-date information.'

As the appoointment drew closer it became evident that things were more complex than they had, at first, seemed. ‘A few days before my appointment, which I had booked in for the last week of July, I had another call from the practitioner who told me that guidelines had changed. They said they could only see patients who believed that not being able to have this treatment would adversely affect their mental health, for example, that it would cause them anxiety or lead to signs of depression. I was then asked if I had had any mental health issues myself. I replied that I was currently on anti-anxiety medication, at which point the practitioner agreed that I could come in for the treatment. She did state that I would need to sign a waiver on arrival.’

‘At first I believe that she was actively trying to warn me against having the treatment but when she heard about my background with anxiety she was more encouraging of me coming in for my appointment.’

The account illustrates that there's a real loophole in the system. Just how many clinics or practitioners have taken advantage of this loophole during lockdown remains to be seen. Here a client was clearly informed that if she didn't demonstrate that she could be reliant on her appointment for her mental wellbeing, then her appointment would be cancelled. Though the client in this case was able to truthfully tell her practitioner that she was taking anti-anxiety medication at the time, she was not asked to provide any proof. Does it not therefore follow that a patient, who was not reliant on the procedure for their own mental wellbeing, could have lied in order to successfully book their procedure? Thus benefitting the practitioner or clinic financially? Like we said, things are all a bit murky.

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