The new recommendations mean that consumers seeking out dermal fillers such as Botox will now have to go to qualified doctors before having the injections to ascertain if they are healthy enough and are not susceptible to an allergic reaction
The regulation, which came into force this week, will also mean that only fully qualified medical experts can administer dermal filler injections, a measure that is aimed at wiping out the ‘cowboy’ operators who have been blamed for botched treatments in the past.
Only with doctor's permission
The aim of this is to try and cut out the beauty therapists and nurses who have previously administered the treatments to anyone they want, without a doctor’s permission.
The guidelines also aim to stamp out Botox parties, which have become increasingly popular amongst groups of friends and associates who want to take the treatment together as a kind of recreation activity.
Botox parties have raised concern over the quality of the treatment under these circumstances, particularly when alcohol is involved as it can impair the administration of the injections.
Botox is prescription drug
Although Botox is considered a prescription drug that can only be prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner, the law still allows that anyone can administer the treatment.
In Europe Botox has really taken off in recent years, with British consumers leading the way in the take up of the treatment.
The Harley Medical Group estimates that in the past two years the number of non-surgical procedures such as Botox and collagen fillers has more than doubled to reach 472,000 in 2007, compared to 230,000 in 2005.
Botox on the brain
However, the treatment has not been without controversy and in April of this year it was cited in a study as being potentially hazardous as toxins were shown to have travelled to the brains of lab rats.
The study, which was headed up by Matteo Caleo of the Italian National Research Council's Institute of Neuroscience, is said to show for the first time that the botulinum toxin may affect the brain.