As the government cracks down on regulations in the aesthetics industry, we speak to world-leading cosmetic doctor Dr Rosh on the red flags to look out for before booking with a cheap practitioner
It’s no secret cosmetic procedures can be expensive – so it’s no wonder people can be tempted to book with cheaper practitioners, but it comes at a huge risk.
With so many cases of botched filler and Botox out there, most commonly from unregulated injectors, I spoke to world-leading doctor and specialist in aesthetics Dr Rosh on red flags to look out for before you book yourself in with an injector who’s paying less than average for their services.
Manchester becoming filler capital of the UK, there is so much filler available – you can get it out the back of a van, in a backroom of a hairdressers or even someone’s basement. As a result Health Secretary Wes Streeting is to introduce a raft of new laws to deal with dodgy cosmetic surgery in the UK.
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On a mission to campaign against the unregulated beauty industry, Dr Rosh, a Manchester-based leading specialist is calling on change from the government in a petition to tighten the rules – including those who offer cheap treatments.
He told The Mirror: “I find myself diffusing so many situations where people have been botched with unregulated filler and Botox. One patient I had told me she couldn’t leave the house because it had affected her confidence so badly and this is where it’s going to wrong.
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“The problem with the UK is you have non-medics genuinely believing they are better than non-doctors. They say doctors should stick in the NHS, and non-medics think they are better. But they can’t fix issues when they go wrong, they can’t prescribe and they can’t make things better if there are complications. Anyone can inject and they believe it’s safe.”
So according to Dr Rosh, here are some of the bigget flags to look out for when booking in for cosmetic work…
When filler is too cheap to be true
The expert, who is loved by many big name celebrities said one of the biggest problems in the UK are the filler packages. He noted: “I find myself dissolving a lot of these packages. 5ML is just too much in one sitting, I limit myself to 3ml, and 5ml for an 18-year-old is too much, it needs to be done in a gradual way but people are doing it to just make money.”
Filler costs about £100/£120 for 1ml, so if someone is doing it for less than £200, which raises the alarm for Dr Rosh. “£60 filler is alarming, I don’t know what they are injecting. People are making fake filler from home, and these fake products are becoming an epidemic,” he added.
“It’s becoming such a saturated market and people are able to book in for a 5ML filler package for around £200/£300, everyone is in a race to be the cheapest. The fact people are selling it so cheap is so dangerous,” and it raises the question of how are they doing it at less than the cost price of filler.
Past medical history and allergies aren’t checked before your appointment
Dr Rosh also urged people to visit a prescribing professional, as those who aren’t medically trained can’t reverse issues or fix problems. “Poor injections are happening and when things go wrong, unregulated practitioners can’t fix the issues and they can’t manage complications effectively,” he said.
While the lower price may be tempting, it’s also crucial to be checked over with any past medical history and allergies – and if that’s not done in a consultation, alarm bells need to be rung.
Your practitioner isn’t insured
In most countries including Dubai and Germany, procedures like these are always done by doctors who will be insured and able to fix any issues if they ever arose, but the expert argues it’s becoming too easy for non-medics to inject without real training. He advises to always do your research and check if your injector is medically trained or not.
“Every other country is doctor led, so why aren’t we?” Anyone in this country can pick up a syringe and get insured and that’s why we’re seeing this bizarre and overfilled result and a lot of patient harm”.
There’s no aftercare contact or package
According to research conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health, of the 1,617 complaints made to Save Face, the national register of non-surgical cosmetic treatment practitioners, over 4 in 5 complainants were ignored or ‘blocked’ by their practitioner when they sought help and over three quarters believed that their practitioner was uninsured or saw no evidence of adequate insurance.
One of Dr Rosh’s patients Bethany Roberts knew this all too well. When she was offered free filler in her nose, that led to a blocked blood vessel in her nose, she realised she wasn’t given any number to call or aftercare advice to turn to when needing help.
“I was informed of the risks, but in terms of the aftercare I didn’t have anything or even a number to call, so at 5AM I had to go onto Instagram and was messaging everyone who worked at the clinic on their personal Instagram accounts telling them I knew I had a vascular occlusion and I need your help,” she told The Mirror.
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