Registered Nurse and qualified aesthetics practitioner, Donnamarie McGrillen, has welcomed news that a year-long review into the absence of regulations on non-surgical cosmetic treatments has led to a series of new recommendations that are being put forward to the government in order to stop patients being put at risk and has urged Northern Ireland’s Department of Health to play its part in regulating the industry.
The list of 17 recommendations has been identified by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing (the APPG) following the growing popularity and availability of injectable treatments and the correlating increased concern over those administering cosmetic procedures.
Nurse Donnamarie McGrillen, owner of Vermilion Cosmetic Clinic located on the Saintfield Road in South Belfast said: “Despite the demand and continued growth, the non-surgical cosmetic industry is almost entirely unregulated. Unfortunately, this means that treatments, such as anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers, are being carried out by unqualified practitioners who do not have the correct, or any, training and experience. These people are also putting patients at further risk of serious complications by using cheap, non-FDA-approved products, which some are purchasing online.
As a passionate advocate for the regulation of the industry, I welcome the news that 17 recommendations have been identified by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing including mandatory training for all practitioners and setting up a national licensing system to ensure premises meet certain hygiene requirements which would make it harder to procedures to be carried out in a non-clinical environment. Northern Ireland’s Department of Health said it would consider the report and will respond in due course and I am urging the Executive to take serious steps now to regulate the industry and help put a stop to patients being put at risk.”
“Vermilion Clinic is a member of Save Face, the National Register of Accredited Practitioners who provide non-surgical cosmetic treatments. I would encourage all licensed practitioners throughout Northern Ireland to become accredited with Save Face to make it harder for unlicensed or unregulated people to provide treatment. I would advise anyone considering an aesthetics procedure to do their research and only go to a reputable and qualified practitioner.
As a patient focused clinic, people’s safety must always come first and I am committed to ensuring the highest standard of care at Vermilion. I’ve lost count at the number of people who’ve contacted me seeking help and corrective work for procedures they’ve had carried out that have gone wrong because they went to someone who wasn’t qualified. This must stop. The Executive has a responsibility to take action now to regulate the non-surgical cosmetics industry,” Nurse Donnamarie concluded.
