People aged under-18 will be banned from high-risk procedures, such as injectables, amid concerns that children needed to be protected from “dangerous beauty trends on social media”.
Health officials said the steps aimed to protect the public from “rogue operators” with no medical training, who often provided “invasive” procedures in homes, hotels, and pop-up clinics.
The move would also reduce the cost imposed upon the national health service to fix botched procedures, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
Karin Smyth, the Health Minister, said: “The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a wild west of dodgy practitioners and procedures. There are countless horror stories of ‘cosmetic cowboys’ causing serious, catastrophic damage.
“This Government is taking action to protect those seeking treatments, support honest and competent practitioners, and root out the cowboys as part of our plan for change.
“This isn’t about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it’s about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe. We’re giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the [health service] of fixing botched procedures.”
Those who break the rules on high-risk procedures could face sanctions from the watchdog and financial penalties. The department said it would launch a consultation next year, seeking views on the range of procedures that should be covered by the new restrictions.
Last month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that fat injections, Brazilian butt lifts, Botox and fillers are being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets.
There have also been concerns about rising numbers of people poisoned by fake Botox, leaving consumers struggling with breathing and swallowing problems, and slurred speech, after suffering from botulism.
Millie Kendall, the chief executive of the British Beauty Council, said: “Any measures that increase protection for the general public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence, as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector”.
Ashton Collins, the director of Save Face, a register of accredited practitioners, said: “I am delighted that the Government has recognised the significant and potentially fatal risks posed by highly dangerous procedures like liquid Brazilian butt lifts and has made it a priority to implement restrictions to protect public safety”.
“I have seen first-hand the devastating impact these procedures can have on the lives of victims and their families, none more so than the family of Alice Webb.”
Webb died last year, aged 33, after suffering complications from having a non-surgical Brazilian butt lift, which involved cosmetic fluid being injected into her buttocks. The mother-of-five worked in the beauty industry and lived in Gloucestershire.
