AAIC Calls For More Informed Debate on Injectables

The Association of Aesthetics, Injectables and Cosmetics has today called for a more informed debate and greater co-operation on the use of injectable cosmetics.

Chris Wade, Chairman of the Association said, “We believe that there needs to be greater public understanding of the issues, and indeed the causes of those issues in the use of injectables. The medical fraternity have lobbied aggressively on behalf of the commercial interests of their members for many years in an attempt to portray the beauty sector as the cause of the problems in the sector but this is a fundamental distortion of the truth. With the injectables industry now worth an estimated £3 billion, perhaps this is not surprising.

We believe that in the absence of any data to substantiate this opinion, the beauty sector is a convenient whipping body for examples of poor practice across both the medical and beauty sectors. More work is therefore needed in order to collect the data that will help define the issues and provide an informed focus on where the concerns lie, in both the medical and beauty sectors”.

Whilst a young trade body, the AAIC has played a significant role in starting to define educational requirements in conjunction with regulated awarding organisation Industry Qualifications (IQ) and independent inspectorate cdBAFI. It is also active on the BSI committee, providing the UK input to the EU ….. standard

According to the AAIC, patient and client interest will only be served when the medical and beauty sector put aside any differences and commercial interests that they may each have and work co-operatively to provide a common framework. “We support the development of a European standard specifically for injectables, which is distinct and separate from any standard for cosmetic surgery. We believe that this standard should define the skills that are required for training and regulated qualifications. We are seeking an effective, independent and accredited inspection framework for providers of injected cosmetic services and we would like to see the insurance industry play a more significant role in supporting the interests of the public.

It is time to stop the finger pointing and commercial positioning and work to a shared solution. The Keogh review, which recognised the legitimacy of both the medical and beauty industries to practice in this area, should be seen as the catalyst for this change and on our part, the AAIC is willing to be an active participant in this process.