Botox customers to be screened for mental health issues
Clinicians will be trained to spot conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder before going ahead with cosmetic procedures.
Saturday 27 April 2019 00:18, UK
People undergoing cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers will face extra checks to see if they are suffering from mental health problems, it has been announced.
Staff at some clinics providing the procedures will be trained to spot conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder, which causes sufferers to obsess about perceived flaws in their appearance.
Those who are believed to be suffering from mental health issues could then be referred to NHS services, under plans approved by the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP).
All practitioners registered with the JCCP are expected to meet the new criteria, which includes assessments to check customers are suitable for treatment.
Kitty Wallace, from the Body Dysmorphic Disorder foundation, said: "Cosmetic procedures like Botox, now widely available on the high street, are putting people at risk and can have a damaging effect on the mental health of young people.
"We know that people with body image problems are more likely to turn to 'quick fix' procedures with body dysmorphic disorder - a condition which causes distress and significantly impacts on quality of life - affecting one in 50 people."
Health and beauty retailer Superdrug, which offers Botox and dermal fillers at its flagship Charing Cross store in London, agreed earlier this year to screen customers for mental health problems before carrying out procedures.
The move came after NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis wrote to the chain expressing his concern.
He welcomed the extra checks, but warned practitioners who are not members of the JCCP will not have to comply with the new plans.
Prof Powis said: "Cosmetic firms bringing in tighter controls to protect young people's mental health is a major step forward, but voluntary steps on their own mean mental health too often will still be left in the hands of providers operating as a law unto themselves.
"We know that appearance is the one of the things that matters most to young people, and the bombardment of idealised images and availability of quick fix procedures is helping fuel a mental health and anxiety epidemic.
"The NHS Long Term Plan is dramatically expanding world-leading mental health services, but we cannot just be left to pick up the pieces - we need all parts of society to show a duty of care and take action to prevent avoidable harm."