Scottish teens as young as 15 seeking help over botched Botox and fillers

Teenagers as young as 15 are seeking help after receiving botched Botox treatment and fillers, a charity has said.

Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) says it wants tighter restrictions on cosmetic procedures after receiving hundreds of complaints about procedures.

The Scottish government has proposed legislation to make non-surgical treatments illegal for under-18s and require procedures to be carried out in approved premises.

ADS, which runs the website consumeradvice.scot, told MSPs examining the proposals that it had seen 430 problem cases in the last two years which left customers £192,000 out of pocket.

The charity’s submission to Holyrood’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee stated: “We have received complaints about some practitioners carrying out dermal filler and Botox injections on customers as young as 15.

“We have also received reports of some traders performing injections from their homes and public locations.”

Charities have warned that Scotland is the worst country in Europe for unqualified beauticians injecting customers with cosmetic treatments.

ADS cited one case where a person had a £725 procedure at a beauty salon.

They were upsold facial filler for places they did not initially request it, and after the treatment were left with extreme swelling and fluid pooling under their eyes.

The practitioner claimed it was an allergic reaction and told the customer to take antihistamines.

But when this failed to reduce the swelling, the person paid extra to have some of the filler dissolved.

ADS added: “Despite experiencing significant pain, investing considerable time, and paying for the procedure which they were not happy with, they found few mechanisms to hold the aesthetician to account.

“The absence of a robust, industry-wide complaints or redress system meant that their options were largely confined to informal resolution.”

While ADS supports the new legislation, it wants the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill to be strengthened to protect consumers.

The charity also wants public awareness campaigns and guidance aimed at parents and guardians, to help protect young people and first-time patients influenced by social media trends.

Jillian Edmund, project lead at ADS, said: “It’s shocking to be contacted by people as young as 15 who are left needing help after being injected with Botox and fillers by unscrupulous practitioners.

“The bill’s protections for under-18s are welcome and essential. Currently, due to a lack of regulation, we are handling the fallout from unqualified practitioners operating across Scotland.

“The proposed regulations will help to address concerns by establishing a clear and enforceable framework, defining who is qualified to perform such procedures and under what conditions.”

Last month Consumer Scotland also called for stronger safeguards in the legislation.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “It is vital we see safe standards across this industry, that is why we have brought forward legislation to regulate this sector, which includes an offence to provide non-surgical procedures to people under the age of 18.

“Our aim is to ensure there is robust and proportionate regulation in place so that anyone who chooses to have non-surgical procedures can do so safely.”