Published
23rd Dec 2024
by Eve Oxberry
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation Into a licensing scheme for non-surgical aesthetic procedures including microneedling, botulinum toxin injections, chemical peels and dermal fillers.
The consultation, which can be viewed here, opened on December 20, 2024, and will close on February 14, 2025.
In a similar format to the England consultation which ran from September to October 2023, the Scottish government consultation breaks down the procedures into three key groups:
• Group 1 means the procedure can be carried out in a licensed premises or HIS regulated setting by a trained and licensed practitioner who is not a healthcare professional.
• Group 2 should only be done in an HIS-regulated setting by a trained practitioner who is not a healthcare professional, but such practitioners should be supervised by an appropriate healthcare professional.
• Group 3 should be done in a HIS-regulated setting and only by an appropriate healthcare professional.
The proposed framework includes the following treatments in Group 1: microneedling, chemical peels that only affect the outermost level of skin, IPL, LED therapy, lasers for tattoo removal, laser hair removal.
Treatments in Group 2 are proposed as including: mesotherapy, botulinum toxin injections, dermal fillers and any other injections of a product, even if it is not a drug or toxin, for lifestyle or cosmetic purposes.
Group 2 also includes medium-depth peels, photo rejuvenation, radiofrequency, HIFU and cryolipolisis.
Meanwhile the proposed Group 3 line-up includes PRP and other blood-derived injections, injection microsclerotherapy, Injection lipolysis, Dermal micro coring, Hay fever injections, any IV procedure, dermal fillers for augmentation (e.g. liquid BBL), deeper chemical peels such as phenol peels, laser treatments that target the deeper dermis, carboxytherapy, Cellulite subcision, electrocautery (electrolysis), cryotherapy and cryocautery, Thread lifts.
Group 3 also covers all group 1 or 2 procedures if carried out in an intimate area (except hair removal and not including procedures such as tattooing and skin piercing which are already licenced).
As with the England consultation, beauty professionals have expressed concern that comparatively low0risk procedures such as mesotherapy and radiofrequency would require oversight of a healthcare professional if the framework were to go ahead in its current format.
Meanwhile procedures such as electrolysis, traditionally carried out by advanced beauty therapists, would be reclassified as safe for medics only.
Beauty and aesthetics professionals are urged to have their say via the consultation before the February 14 deadline.
