Crackdown on unsafe cosmetic procedures to protect the public
New measures to crack down on cowboy cosmetic procedures that have left people maimed, injured and in need of urgent NHS care will be introduced by the UK Government.
Only qualified healthcare professionals will be able to perform the highest risk procedures – such as non-surgical Brazilian Butt Lifts.
Other lower risk cosmetic treatments - including Botox, lip fillers and facial dermal fillers - will also come under stricter oversight through a new local authority licensing system. Practitioners will be required to meet rigorous safety, training, and insurance standards before they can legally operate. Once regulations are introduced, practitioners who break the rules on the highest risk procedures will be subject to CQC enforcement and financial penalties.
The planned crackdown follows a series of incidents where people have had high-risk treatments from people with little or no medical training, leading to dangerous complications, permanent scarring and even death. These new rules will seek to protect people from unqualified, rogue operators and reduce the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures. This follows growing alarm over unqualified individuals performing invasive treatments in unsafe environments—including homes, hotels, and pop-up clinics. Many of these procedures are marketed as non-surgical but, in reality, are invasive and carry serious risks.
The new regulations will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny before they are introduced.
Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 7 August 2025