{"id":325325,"date":"2026-03-12T04:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T04:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/325325\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T04:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T04:31:10","slug":"experts-call-for-stricter-regulation-of-invasive-cosmetic-procedures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/325325\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts call for stricter regulation of invasive cosmetic procedures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The rise in invasive cosmetic procedures demands tighter regulation, better consumer protection, and greater awareness to protect patient safety and reduce cosmetic tourism, argue experts in\u00a0The BMJ\u00a0today.<\/p>\n<p>The global market for cosmetic procedures is growing rapidly and is projected to exceed $180bn by 2033, note Danielle Griffiths at the University of Liverpool and colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>Invasive cosmetic procedures typically involve the insertion of instruments or equipment into the body (eg, tummy tucks and breast augmentation), while non-surgical procedures are minimally invasive (eg, botox and dermal fillers), they explain.<\/p>\n<p>However, they warn that non-surgical procedures are becoming increasingly invasive, blurring the distinction. And although deaths remain rare, evidence suggests that harms are increasing, particularly after cosmetic procedures abroad.<\/p>\n<p>Side effects of botox injections can range from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news-medical.net\/health\/What-Does-Inflammation-Do-to-the-Body.aspx\" class=\"linked-term\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">inflammation<\/a> to anxiety, dry eyes, vision problems, or nerve damage, while the most common complications after breast surgery or tummy tucks are\u00a0separation of a closed wound (dehiscence), infection, and seromas (fluid-filled bumps under the skin).<\/p>\n<p>Calculated resulting costs to the NHS vary and are probably underestimated, and the authors point out that\u00a0there is no UK-wide reporting or tracking system for complications from private cosmetic procedures, so many go unreported.<\/p>\n<p>Recent proposals have been put forward by the government to control unregulated non-surgical cosmetic procedures in the UK, they write, but implementation is moving slowly and substantial gaps remain, with implications for patient safety.<\/p>\n<p>As such, they call on the UK government to follow reforms adopted by Australia and other countries to\u00a0safeguard patients and reduce cosmetic tourism.<\/p>\n<p>These include\u00a0consistent regulation across all four UK nations to ensure that high\u00a0risk invasive cosmetic procedures (surgical and non-surgical) are performed by trained healthcare professionals only with standardised qualifications and oversight.<\/p>\n<p>A single set of guidelines on non-surgical cosmetic procedures, applicable to all registered practitioners, should also detail requirements for training, assessment, consultation, and consent.<\/p>\n<p>And broader interventions, including public education, advertising controls, and accredited registers, are essential to ensure reliable information, realistic expectations, and safe access to cosmetic procedures, they conclude.<\/p>\n<p>Source:<\/p>\n<p>Journal reference:<\/p>\n<p>Regulating invasive cosmetic procedures to reduce harm. The BMJ. DOI:\u00a010.1136\/bmj-2026-086763<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The rise in invasive cosmetic procedures demands tighter regulation, better consumer protection, and greater awareness to protect patient&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325326,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[76665,134,111,139,69,1518],"class_list":["post-325325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-botox","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}