A voluntary register has been set up for physicians and medical practitioners in the UK who administer Botox, as well as other injectables, in an effort to crack down on unlicensed, illegal and frivolous use. A seal of approval will be given to all those who have been inspected after registering and are practicing at a certain professional standard. Such standards include not providing injections at “Botox parties”, something that many practitioners continue to do despite concerns of safety. The government hopes that this will reduce the number of botched treatments reported yearly.

However, many believe that a voluntary register is insufficient to truly make an impact, since it would be up to the medical professional to register and the patients to check whether their practitioner has the seal of approval. As a result, critics support statutory regulation instead, in the same way that it currently exists for laser skin treatments and chemical peels. For the past few years, the government has rejected statutory regulation of Botox and injectable fillers due the cost of putting such move into effect.

We think that a “seal of approval” would help, but it shouldn’t be something to completely rely on. Consumers should still examine the credentials and reputation of a medical professional, whether they’ve been “approved” or not.