THE director of a Dunfermline skin clinic has called on West Fifers to get involved in Scottish Government consultation which she believes will make the industry safer.

Julia Hart, who runs the Julia Hart Skin and and Laser Clinic in Chalmers Street, said she has seen a sharp rise in the number of "corrective" treatment appointments she is providing from clients who have had work done elsewhere.

The Clinical Director and Senior Aesthetic Nurse Specialist said the majority of the aesthetic industry is currently unregulated with only those doctor, nursing or dentistry qualifications being regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).

Dunfermline Press:

As she falls under this category, her business is assessed regularly by HIS. However anyone who does not fall within this is unregulated with no minimum standard of care required and no legal requirement for insurance.

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"There are many who think this is a witch hunt against non medical but to be blunt it is not," she said. "The simple truth is we see complications regularly in the clinic and the majority are as a result of non medically qualified practitioners.

"In addition the alarming figures released recently confirmed that 80 per cent of non medical do not have any insurance!

"I personally know many experienced and safe non medically qualified practitioners are equally concerned about the lack of regulations and are very keen that the industry is cleaned up.

"This will reassure the public who choose to get procedures outside a medical lead clinic environment that they too will be treated safely and with respect."

Julia has welcomed the government's plans to licence all premises and practitioners offering aesthetic treatments.

"This is a huge step forward in public safety," she said. "The government is not aiming to stop non medics but make them follow the same safety rules that nurses, doctors and dentist follow. They just want to reduce complications that go on to be managed in the NHS.

"For us the biggest issue is not around whether one group is a better skilled injector than the other but totally centred around the fact that the public should be able to book for a treatment and know that they are getting treated with a regulated product that has passed rigorous safety standards.

"They should not need to ask whether the injector has a minimum standard of qualification or if they are insured, and they should be reassured that if there's a complication the practitioner will follow them up until a satisfactory resolution has been achieved."

Julia's clinic often gets referrals through the organisation Saveface which was set up to help patients choose a practitioner and acts as a touch point when complications occur.

Their director, Ashton Collins, is keen that people carefully consider where they go for treatment – and don't just choose an option they have seen on social media sites because it seems cheaper.

"Because of the advent of social media and reality TV and how popular these treatments have become, the demand has grown as has the number of people who provide them," she explained.

"People who have no health care experience literally go sometimes on a training course that's maybe a half day. Sometimes they don't, and they watch YouTube videos and they set about injecting people.

"They set up Facebook or Instagram pages offering treatments at incredibly cheap prices and people assume, especially younger people, that there is no risk and they are bagging a bargain.

"Education is the most important thing. Even if a licence scheme did come in, no one is that naive to think unscrupulous operators will be stamped out, so it is important the public is aware how to navigate their way to a safe pair of hands."

Anyone who wants to find out about the consultation, and get involved, can click here for more information.