Trusting your treatment to the experts

You need to take care when choosing who treats you, and where, and with what.

You may have read about some of the 'disasters' that have occurred when patients have received inappropriate treatment when undertaking cosmetic skin enhancements such as dermal fillers or botulinum toxin (Botox®) procedures. Some uninsured practitioners have provided treatments in private homes.

This potentially dangerous practise needed to be curtailed. To be safe, a provider has to have the appropriate qualifications, operate from appropriate premises, be aware of the Medicines Act (as Botox® and similar products are prescription only medicines), and the Health and Safety at Work Act which describes the appropriate premises where Cosmetic Injectables should be administered. Unfortunately there is currently no statutory system regulation for the injectable cosmetic industry, and no easy way for a patient to know whether a provider meets these standards.

To address these concerns a national scheme was set up – the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS). This scheme has the backing of the Department of Health, and the three professional regulatory bodies, the General Dental Council, the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

To be on the IHAS Register of Injectable Cosmetic Providers, a practitioner must:

• Be an appropriately trained doctor, dentist or registered nurse
• Adhere to prescribing guidance that the professional regulators have in place
• Only administer in premises that meet all current Health and Safety and statutory regulations
• Have in place appropriate insurance
• Ensure that 'remote prescribing' does not take place

Performed by trained people in the right surroundings, these treatments are safe. You can only be sure the person you are going to allow to inject you is a suitably qualified, and the premises are safe, when you see the IHAS Quality Assurance Mark.

Smilecare was one of the first dental practices in the UK to be accepted onto the IHAS Register, a further indication of our commitment to high standards and best practise.

For further information on the IHAS scheme please go to Treatments You Can Trust.