An in – depth investigation by ITV News, featuring secret filming, has brought to light the alarming and dangerous cosmetic practices being carried out by unregulated “wild west operators” in some of Britain’s high – street salons. The footage is part of a year – long probe for the new ITV documentary ‘Britain’s Backstreet Surgery Scandal’, and has spurred new health secretary Wes Streeting to vow action against those conducting these risky procedures.
During the investigation, ITV News discovered that in an unassuming beauty salon in south London, dangerous cosmetic training courses take place weekly. A reporter from ITV signed up for a one – day “fat reduction” training course at Luxury Medical Aesthetics in Clapham, which charged £1500 for the instruction. The undercover footage shows a horrifying scene where a beautician makes an incision in a client’s jawline and then uses a “suction wand” to remove fat. The client, who only had local anaesthetic, clearly shows signs of pain, but the trainer continues the procedure. The trainer even casually mentions to students that during hundreds of procedures, she has damaged “two nerves” and “one artery”. Shockingly, students with no prior experience are quickly handed the instrument to try the procedure themselves. The reporter managed to leave before being asked to participate but still received a course certificate, highlighting the lack of proper assessment in these courses.
The scale of this crisis has now been laid bare through ITV News’ research. A freedom of information request revealed that since 2021, there have been 1193 ambulance callouts to businesses with “beauty” or “aesthetics” in their names, for serious issues like chest pain, immediate threats to life, and major trauma. In the past five years, 670 complaints about aesthetic procedures have been filed with local authorities. Consultant plastic surgeon Professor Iain Whitaker, after viewing the undercover footage, was appalled. He stated, “I’ve been a doctor for over 22 years, and I never thought in my lifetime I’d see something like that. How she can be allowed to do this, with zero training, or medical background is just beyond belief. They’re just not thinking about the patient…it disgusts me, to be honest.”
Many women have suffered due to treatments at Luxury Medical Aesthetics. Keylea – Anne Griffiths paid for the fat reduction treatment and ended up being rushed to the hospital with bladder damage. She described the agonizing experience of feeling the “hot metal rod piercing my skin” and seeing blood splattered on the salon wall. After the procedure, she had to endure a four – hour drive home in pain without any pain relief and was eventually taken to A&E due to her inability to urinate. When she contacted the salon, their response was dismissive. Despite the serious accusations, Luxury Medical Aesthetics chose not to respond to the safety concerns raised, and the owner refused to answer questions when approached outside the salon.
The problems extend beyond high – street liposuction. Liquid BBLs, a popular non – surgical alternative for achieving a fuller figure, have also become a cause for concern. In September, 33 – year – old Alice Webb became the first person in the UK to die from a liquid BBL procedure at a clinic in the South West of England. Her partner, Dane Knight, is now calling for the introduction of Alice’s Law, which would make it illegal for anyone other than a registered Plastic Surgeon operating in a CQC – regulated environment to perform buttock augmentation procedures using hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. Alice’s family has launched a petition to support this law change.
Health secretary Wes Streeting has spoken out about the issue, calling the actions of these unregulated operators “absolutely disgusting” and promising to take action. He also committed to continuing the work initiated by the previous government. However, his refusal to provide a timeframe for action has left campaigners frustrated. With the cosmetic industry booming, there is an urgent demand for a new overarching licensing system to protect patients from further harm and ensure that regulations keep pace with the industry’s growth.
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