Islanders warned after 'botched cosmetic work'

Islanders are being warned about the risks of having non-surgical cosmetic treatments like dermal fillers from people who are not medically qualified.

Campaign group Save Face said it had been contacted by more than 30 Channel Islanders over the past two years with concerns about their treatment or the lack of follow-up care.

It said one woman reported she was delighted with the results of lip fillers but when an infection set in her requests for help went unanswered.

Ann Chamberlain, from Roseneath Skin Clinic in Guernsey, said these treatments could benefit many people but they could be left vulnerable when they had side effects and no access to aftercare.

Dermal fillers are injected into the face and lips to fill lines and wrinkles.

Botulinum toxin injections - such as Botox - relax facial muscles to smooth out lines and wrinkles, such as crow's feet and frown lines.

But despite the use of syringes and botox being classed as medicine, these procedures are being performed in non-clinical settings.

Dr John Curran said the current laws around the use and storage of Botox in particular should be enforced across the British Isles.

The cosmetic dermatology doctor, who is the former president and fellow of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, said as a prescription-only medicine Botox should only be given out following a one-to-one consultation with a doctor or nurse practitioner.

Dr Curran said he was regularly having to correct treatments that had gone wrong.

He said one patient suffered partial loss of vision after a facial injection went wrong.

Dr Curran said: "There is a misconception that aesthetic dermatology is beauty, it's not it's still medical practice."

Save Face Director Ashton Collins said providers of non-surgical treatments like dermal fillers also regularly visited Guernsey to run pop-up clinics.

They often have no medical training and "operate like ghosts" who disappear after leaving the island, she claimed.

Ms Collings said: "That's problematic, because if you have a complication that person isn't around to fix it."

There is no professional register in Guernsey to regulate who can administer non-surgical cosmetic treatments like dermal fillers.

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