‘Botox Parties Are A Classic Example’: Caroline Hirons On Why We Need To Make Beauty Safe

The British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (BABTAC) is being heavily backed by the renowned likes of Caroline Hirons to fight for greater regulation in the cosmetic treatments sector. Enter the Make Beauty Safe campaign (read the full report here). In recent years the beauty industry as been flooded with seemingly quick and simple treatments, from Botox to lip filler and beyond. Whilst there are countless highly trained professionals out there who offer a high quality and, most importantly, safe services, there are others putting clients at risk. Here Caroline Hirons, herself a CIBTAC qualified aesthetician, speaks exclusively to Grazia and gives her take. 'We’ve been shouting about being regulated for years and it just seemed like the perfect time to hammer it home,' says Caroline, 'we need regulation, licensing and a register of people who are qualified. We need an agreement of who is going to control these things.'

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On Why We Need The Make Beauty Safe Campaign

'We need the Make Beauty Safe campaign because the beauty industry still remains unregulated.'

'Most people in the industry are trained, qualified, verified and insured professionals, however there are a growing number of people that aren’t. They’re led by unscrupulous people who are looking to make money by running quick one or two-day courses and that technically allow people to say they’re qualified to do certain beauty treatments – but it actually it’s nothing more than an attendance certificate.'

On Today's Unregulated Beauty Treatment Industry

'Botox parties are a classic example why we need the beauty industry to be regulated. They should have never been a thing. No one with any sense of decency would do Botox on people in an unsterile environment where booze is being served. You just wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. Then there are people who have completed a two-day course on lip filler and think that they then know how to do lips. Technically, there's nothing to stop me personally doing lip filler or botox – there’s literally no law that say I can’t, even though I’m not a medical professional.'

On The Consequences

'The result is often botched lips and botox. It's treatments that haven’t been done properly and so cause further injury. If an injectable was to go wrong, time is of the essence. As an example, fillers can cause occlusion which requires Hyaluronidase almost immediately or tissue necrosis can start (the skin starts to die from lack of blood supply). If you’re not medically trained, then you cannot manage these sorts of complications.'

'We all want to avoid these situations. We want to keep beauty completely safe. We want to keep beauty open, especially in the current climate.'

'I've had readers saying to me: "I went here, or my sister had her lips done here, do you know who she can contact because it’s gone wrong?" And I have to literally say, "I’ve never heard of that person". And there’s not a lot that those in the industry can do to help if you’ve had a botched treatment by someone who hasn’t completed their training, because you’re not covered as a patient. '

'All serious practitioners, medically trained and professionally qualified people will have insurance which means if something goes wrong, you will be covered as a patient. But it’s not something the average punters think to ask – no-one walks into their appointment and says "can I see your insurance documents please?'"'

On What This Means For Fully Trained Professionals In The Industry

'This lack of regulation means we’re all tarnished with the same brush. There’s a danger that people will say "beauty can’t be trusted" altogether. In a way, the title "make beauty safe" is heart-breaking because most of us, we are safe, we are regulated, we do follow a strong ethical guideline.'

'However, there needs to be official regulation and people shouldn’t be concerned about it: we can all do the training, get a licence and then patients can be confident because they’re having treatment with someone who is qualified and has insurance.'

'The people who are for regulation are often those who have completed long-term training courses and have internationally recognised qualifications. The people who are trying to sweep this under the carpet and saying we can self-regulate – if you look into them further – they’re generally the people who have something to financially gain from running cheaper courses that aren’t verified.'

On What We Should Be Looking Out For When Booking In For A Beauty Treatment

'Qualifications. Ask what qualifications someone has if it’s not clear on their website. You want someone who is listed with the General Medical Council.'

'If it’s a professional doctor, nurse or dentist who specialises in aesthetics – medically trained people – they will be shouting about that on their website. Lastly, if in doubt, don’t go for the treatment. It isn’t worth it.'

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