Medical experts and victims of catastrophic cosmetic procedures are backing a Mirror campaign to clean up Britain’s beauty industry.
Mum Alice Webb died after a liquid Brazilian butt lift, while high-risk procedures have left hundreds of others injured or fighting for life. Alice’s partner Dane Knight, campaign group Save Face and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons are joining us in demanding action.
We told on Thursday how Health Secretary Wes Streeting plans to crack down on “Wild West operators” who are risking lives. Now the Mirror is making three demands to improve safety at high-street salons and clinics.
Some procedures are being done by people with just hours of training, an ITV X documentary revealed this week. In September, mum-of-five, Alice, 33, became the first person to die following a liquid BBL in a UK clinic. Her partner Dane, from Gloucestershire, wants an “Alice’s law” put in place to stop non-medics performing such procedures.
He said Alice believed her procedure was safe, adding: “Had she known the truth she would never have risked leaving her five babies behind. I would hate another father to go through what I have. I am devastated. To all the practitioners out there still performing this horrendous procedure, please stop.”
Another mum ended up in a coma after a liquid BBL. Sasha, 53, of Bedfordshire, said her practitioner was not a qualified surgeon. She said: “It’s like playing Russian roulette with your life. If I’d known there was even 1% chance of dying, I’d never have done it.”
Sasha felt unwell straight after her procedure last December and ended up on life support after suffering sepsis. She had a heart attack, collapsed lungs, pneumonia and kidney failure.
Recalling being rushed to A&E, she told the Mirror: “They said, ‘She’s going to die, she’s not going to make it – get her family here now.’”
Sasha was put into an induced coma and her wound became infected. “Now I’ve got cardiac problems, a leaking heart valve, I’m struggling with breathlessness and I’ve lost all my hair.
“It’s changed me for ever. I’m very stressed and cry constantly. It’s deemed safe but it’s not. It’s ruined my life.”
Save Face had warned that without intervention someone would die. Director Ashton Collins said: “I am devastated that our calls were ignored.
“Alice’s death could and should have been prevented. We desperately need the government to enact Alice’s law.”
- All beauty clinics offering potentially dangerous procedures should be licensed by the Quality Care Commission. This includes ‘high risk’ treatments such as BBLs, liposuction, surgical facelifts and surgical eye lifts
- All procedures must be surgically safe and carried out only by fully trained medical professionals
- Make it a legal requirement for practitioners who offer non-surgical interventions to have malpractice insurance. Currently it is not mandatory which leaves patients with no avenue for redress when things go wrong
In two years, the group has helped over 600 individuals who have suffered “horrific complications” from procedures advertised as risk-free. She said: “More than 55% of cases had sepsis, and 40% needed corrective surgery. Many were told they might not survive.
“In any other circumstance, those who inflict such injuries would face arrest and charges of assault.” However it is not against the law to carry out these procedures.
BAAPS agrees with the Mirror’s demands. President Nora Nugent said: “Many patients have had skin loss, infections, and other poor outcomes.”
Top plastic surgeon Dr Victoria Teoh said: “It’s vital that only qualified medical staff with relevant qualifications should be doing what are often high-risk operations.”
Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran MP, said: “It is right that the government is exploring options around regulation of the cosmetics sector.”
Two people were arrested and bailed on suspicion of Alice’s manslaughter. A petition for Alice’s law can be signed on change.org.
