Healthcare profession takes strides in protecting non-surgical cosmetic intervention patients

15 April 2016

Five prominent healthcare groups have come together to improve safety for patients undergoing non-surgical cosmetic interventions. The groups have joined forces to form the Clinical Standards Authority for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Interventions (CSA) and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) with support from the Department of Health (DoH). 

The two groups will work collaboratively to ensure patient safety in the specific area of non-surgical interventions, which includes dermal fillers, Botox injections and cosmetic laser therapies. This area is largely unregulated and although many of these treatments are carried out by doctors, nurses and dentists who are covered by their own professional codes of conduct, there are also a large number of treatments carried out by non-regulated practitioners.

The associations currently involved are:
• The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) 
• The British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN)
• The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD)
• The British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) 
• The British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) 

These bodies will work together to protect patients by improving and enforcing clinical standards and training, and by maintaining a register of practitioners.

The CSA and the JCCP have already started on these key tasks with the objective of fully launching in April 2017. Professor David Sines, CBE, has been appointed as the Interim Chair of the JCCP and his first task has been to bring together the key professional medical associations involved in delivering non-surgical services followed by other professional associations and stakeholders.

This news comes hot on the heels of the recent publication of the ‘Guidance for Doctors who offer cosmetic interventions’ by the General Medical Council (GMC), which both the CSA and the JCCP welcomed.

Professor David Sines, Interim Chair of the JCCP, said: “In 2013 the Keogh ‘Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions’ found that the regulatory framework had not managed to keep up with the growing cosmetic intervention industry. Sections of the non-surgical cosmetic interventions industry remain largely unregulated, however healthcare professionals have made important strides in improving patient safety. The formation of the CSA and the JCCP is an important step forward.”

The need for improved training and oversight to be addressed by the groups is highlighted by an audit of dermatologists and plastic surgeons*, which showed:

• 58 per cent of the dermatologists answering the survey had seen patients with complications from non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
• 54 per cent of these complications were due to dermal filler injections. Of these, 33 per cent had granuloma formation and 10 per cent had allergic reactions. Granuloma formation is a chronic, debilitating foreign body reaction, where chronic nodules develop which may require treatment with systemic immunosuppressive agents and recurrent surgical removal.
• 63 per cent of respondents stated the complications were irreversible or chronic.
• 59 per cent of respondents stated the complications had a highly negative impact on the patient's quality of life.
• 49 per cent of respondents felt there was either a missed diagnosis of skin disease, or inappropriate treatment of skin disease associated with the non-surgical cosmetic procedure (including skin cancer).
• The two main areas where complications arose were laser/light treatments (67 per cent) and dermal fillers (54 per cent).

ENDS

Notes to editors:
Below is a summary of the current makeup and remit of the two groups, who are committed to interdisciplinary and collaborative working:
The Clinical Standards Authority for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Interventions (CSA):
The CSA is currently made up of the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). Its role is to:
• Set standards and a code of conduct that all practitioners must adhere to; 
• Lead evidence-based research; 
• Scan the horizon for new therapies to mitigate risk; 
• Collect data on activity and adverse events; 
• Collaborate with stakeholders such as JCCP and advise regulatory bodies such as Department of Health (DoH), The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the General Medical Council (GMC) and others.
The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP):
The JCCP is currently made up of the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) and the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM). Its role is to:
• Oversee compliance with clinical standards established by the new Clinical Standards Authority for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Interventions 
• Develop an educational and training framework linked to the standards and processes of accreditation;
• Maintain a register(s) of members who meet the entry requirements of the JCCP and abide by its Code of Practice;
• Collaborate with stakeholders such as JCCP and advise regulatory bodies such as Department of Health (DoH), The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the General Medical Council (GMC) and others (within the context of its defined remit).

While the current membership of both Groups is as stated, this is open to expansion and development; multidisciplinary collaboration will underpin both groups in order to provide public protection and assurance.
*Audit of members of BAD, BAAPS and BAPRAS, 2012

Contact:
For more information about the role of CSA, please contact the BAD press team: comms@bad.org.uk / 0207 391 6084 or the BAPRAS PR team:  bapras@portland-communications.com 

For more information about the JCCP, please email:
British Association of Cosmetic Nurses Chief Executive Officer: pburgess@bacn.org.uk – 07971476312 or the British College of Aesthetic Medicine Press Office: Kim Greer - 01474 823900 or 07545371100
Press Releases