AN aesthetics expert has warned the industry is putting young women in danger due to the prevalence of cowboy practitioners.
Dr Kaly Jaff, who owns The Secret clinic in Glasgow, has serious concerns because her area of expertise is still unregulated.
2
Wannabe beauticians can pick up a needle and start injecting patients without any formal training, she warns.
And Dr Jaff, 36, fears folk have no idea they’re changing their appearance without the proper safeguards in place.
She said: “It’s bizarre. Anyone can do a two-day course and pick up a syringe and start injecting.
“It’s incredibly dangerous and sold on the basis of finance rather than ethics. I’m from a medical background and we swear the hippocratic oath that we put our patients’ best interests at heart.
“l treat people whose lips have exploded because a non-medic has blocked them on social media after the treatment.
“It’s horrifying that your family members or friends are continuously going to these cheaper places where there’s no insurance for safety.”
Health Care Improvement Scotland is currently looking into regulating aesthetics for medical professionals.
But Dr Jaff doesn’t think it’ll deal with the crooks offering subpar services for cut price deals.
She added: “The problem is we’re already governed. We already have big bosses breathing down our necks and lots of red tape to follow.
“It’s regulating the already regulated, you need to regulate the florists doing Botox for £30 and lash technicians doing filler for £80.
“There’s clinics around the corner from me offering a syringe of lip filler for £90 and if you bring friends it’s £80.
“I charge £300 and I can’t even buy the product for £90.
“If I’m a 19-year-old feeling insecure and I want my lips done and I have the option for £300 or £80 if I can convince a friend, it’s a no-brainer.”
She added: “I’ve also been a teenager and insecure but it’s so important not to poach on that.
“The Scottish Government is slowly starting to get more involved in regulations but the UK is the most dangerous place to get aesthetics in Europe.
“In Germany you can’t even post before and after pictures as it’s viewed as promotion. Australia did this too.
“We could be doing better on so many levels, with training, regulation and monitoring where the products are coming from and how they’re getting into the country.
“It’s affecting the medical profession. We have a group on WhatsApp with over 900 medical professionals in it and every day we discuss how we can push regulations to become stricter in Scotland.
“But it’s an uphill battle we’re trying to fight. I don’t think it will change any time soon so instead we must educate patients so they can make educated decisions to stay safe.”
Earlier this year we reported how a clinic in Livingston, which was plagued with complaints, was offering cut prices in an attempt to lure in new customers despite after we revealed it was unregistered.
Meanwhile, we also reported how Save Face, a UK-wide register of qualified medics, saw complaints about dodgy beauticians soar from 121 in 2019 to 303 last year.
One of the biggest issues plaguing aesthetics is social media.
Dr Jaff has noticed an increase in young woman who are inspired by influencers promoting services on Instagram and TikTok.
She said: “There’s a lot of bloggers who will contact me and ask to collaborate and the business brain in me says its’s a great opportunity and free advertising.
“But I’m not doing treatments if my conscience isn’t clear. I get a lot of young girls, and a lot of it is for lips because they see it on social media.
“It’s important not to feed that because a lot of girls want their lips done and it’s not always appropriate.”
She added: “I could fill cheeks up but it’s not dealing with the duty of care like an underlying mental health problem or eating disorder.
“I have people in my team I can use to support, like life coaches and mental health nurses, and that’s such a huge part.
“For patients looking at aesthetics for the first time, safety is paramount and you need to make sure you’re not too young in the face of what Instagram and TikTok is always telling us to get.”
But the good news is that skincare continues to progress so much that it can sometimes replicate more invasive treatments.
Dr Jaff prefers to keep people away from permanent changes unless they make sense and hopes people do their research on less costly and less permanent options.
BID TO INSPIRE
DR Jaff recently launched her own podcast series with Go Radio in an attempt to inspire others.
She moved to Glasgow as a refugee with her family when she was six from Kurdistan unable to speak a word of English.
Her family always supported her education and she now works with her twin sister, brother and mum at her clinic.
She said: “I have always loved to talk to people and to hear their stories, and it struck me that perhaps my own journey was one that could inspire and encourage others as well as entertain.
“My family is at the root of everything that I do, and since becoming a mum myself, I do feel deeply passionate about inspiring other people to follow their dreams.
“I moved here when I was six and I was always the outcast and spent my whole teenage years and twenties and even early thirties trying to fit in.
“Then I had children and realised it’s so magical being different. I’m always telling patients to hold onto their uniqueness.”
She added: “Most people think I’m really privileged and the success I’ve had has been helped by mummy and daddy and that I went to private school.
“We were homeless for the first four years we were here in shared accommodation. I got my head down and studied and Scotland gave me the opportunity to make lemonade.”
*Listeners can tune in via GO radio and all their social media platforms. Stay up to date with all things podcast and Dr Kaly Jaff related via her Instagram @dr.kalyjaff or via her website drkalyjaff.co.uk
She added: “If people have issues with skin or pigmentation we have medical grade treatments free on the NHS or you can buy it in the clinic.
“It’s non-invasive and it’s prescribed skin care you can use at home and sometimes that’s enough.
“We get a lot of people talking about cracked lips in winter time and they think they need filled but we talk about skin boosters instead.
“Or ask them if they’ve thought about changing the cleanser they’re using? Make-up has also really blown up in the lip gloss department where many have plumpifying qualities.
“They have cayenne paper and if you think about what happens when you have something spicy, it gets red and swollen.
“I really want people to take it seriously, you’re not getting a haircut, so let’s think about the consequences.”
A Healthcare Improvement Scotland spokesperson said: “Private healthcare clinics registered with us are required to demonstrate that they take the safety of their clients seriously, that they operate to the highest standards and are committed to continually improving the service they provide.
“People should always check that a clinic is registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland before undertaking treatments. We currently have a register of over 500 clinics now regulated across Scotland.”