The government has announced that all breast implants will be recorded on a national register.
This change follows calls for stricter regulation of the cosmetic surgery and cosmetic treatments sector.
After the PIP breast implant scandal, the lack of governance of the market was exposed. Some companies and surgeons were unable to tell which patients might have been affected by the faulty and dangerous implants, due to the lack of proper records. With 300,000 women thought to be affected, this highlighted the risks of cosmetic surgery and the importance of improving safety for patients.
The UK cosmetic procedures industry was worth £720m in 2005 and is forecast to reach £3.6bn by 2015, a growth of 500%. 75% of this figure is thought to be accounted for by non-surgical procedures including botox, fillers and laser treatment.
Recommendations were made in the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions report in April 2013, after investigations led by Sir Bruce Keogh.
The implementation of a breast implant register is a big step in implementing the team’s recommendations to improve regulation of the market. However, the exact details are still subject to trial. The NHS and selected private organisations will firstly embark on a test for the register, which will be similar to that used for joints such as hip operations, after which it is hoped it will soon become compulsory across England.
Non-Surgical Treatments Register
There are currently no plans for a similar register for cosmetic treatments.
However, as 9 out of 10 cosmetic interventions are non-surgical, it is hoped and expected that some further changes will be made, which could include:
- minimum training/qualifications for those injecting fillers or botox
- making dermal fillers a prescription only medicine (as botox is)
- better control of the types and quality of filler products available
SkinViva Training Academy Manchester
SkinViva Training Ltd offer a range of professional training courses for cosmetic and medical skin treatments.
Their courses in cosmetic treatments directed at suitably qualified and registered medical professionals who wish to learn and build on their skills in delivering these procedures.
SkinViva Training was established by by Dr Tim Pearce MBChB BSc (Hons) MRCGP. The SkinViva Training team upholds high standards of clinical training providing a combination of fully-supervised practical experience together with essential theory.
For further information, to discuss which course is right for you, to enquire about availability or to book a training course please call 0161 850 2491, or email info@skinvivatraining.com.