Melior Clinics Welcome Government-Backed Register for Facial Aesthetics Practitioners

Online, September 22, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The launch of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service's voluntary register has been welcomed by Melior Clinics' director, Dr Timothy Beazleigh, but it doesn't go far enough to regulate the industry he said.

"There is no doubt that the industry must be regulated and this voluntary register is a good first step. However, what's needed is a system that ensures that every practitioner receives adequate training and is assessed for competence before they are allowed to practice and potentially cause permanent harm.
Whether you are a doctor, dentist, nurse or beautician, poor training and lack of experience will inevitably lead to mistakes being made.

Every week I see at least one patient who has come to see me because they are unhappy with a treatment they have received elsewhere and want me to correct it. These sub-standard treatments have usually been given by inexperienced practitioners who have not had adequate training.

Currently, a medical practitioner can sign up for a day-long course on administering Botox or derma-fillers, get the certificate and then set up in practice the very next day. There's no assessment, no shadowing of a more experienced practitioner, no competency checks.

What this industry needs is a body that sets out a thorough training programme, awards qualifications and monitors continuous personal development of each and every practitioner. This is the only way to ensure that patients will get the safest and most effective treatment.

I also think that some responsibility should be shouldered by the pharmacies who release the materials (i.e. Botox, derma fillers etc) to practitioners. Botox is a prescription drug which should only be issued on the recommendation of an approved practitioner who has had a face to face consultation with the patient. However, this is not always the case so pharmacists must be vigilant."