Dermal fillers regulation brought before House of Lords

The number of dermal filler procedures carried out should be monitored, along with the number of providers delivering those treatments, according to a group of industry experts.

Following the Keogh Review’s recommendations last month, the issue of dermal fillers was brought before the House of Lords by a panel of experts lead by the organisation Treatments You Can Trust and its chairwoman, Baroness Trish Morris.

Treatments You Can Trust is an organisation that believes beauty therapists should not administer dermal fillers. The group said further work could be done in this sector beyond the recommendations of the Keogh Review. Key points discussed include the need for diligent data collection and recording in the industry and the need for cohesive working within the industry. The classification of dermal fillers as a medical device and their proposed elevated status to prescription only also came under scrutiny.

The panel included aesthetic practitioners and representatives from Allergan, Twoxane and Merz Aesthetics.

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, a member of the cosmetic review team who also sat on the panel, said, “The review recommendations cover a broad scope, however what is central is the ambition to make patient safety paramount and to ensure consumers are empowered to make a choice.  The lack of available information on the number and descriptions of dermal fillers injected demonstrates the clear need for better data collection. Whilst we wait for the Government’s response to the Review and for the recommendations to be implemented, it is important that safety measures remain in place.”