Facial Aesthetic Treatments and the Safety Considerations Involved

What are Facial Aesthetic Treatments?

Facial aesthetic treatments are non-surgical cosmetic procedures used to enhance your natural beauty. They are usually applied to the face and/or lips. These treatments remove signs of stress and ageing, as well as accentuate your facial features in a natural-looking way. Facial aesthetic treatments are commonly offered in dental clinics, performed by a qualified dentist, dental therapist or dental hygienist. Most facial aestheticians will have a university degree in nursing, dentistry or medicine and additional qualifications to perform these procedures.

Common Types of Facial Aesthetic Treatments?

Two popular types of facial aesthetic procedures are anti-wrinkle treatments and dermal fillers. Anti-wrinkle treatments use injections and are typically applied to the forehead, eyes and mouth areas. The injected drug blocks the signals transmitted between the nerve and a muscle, thus causing the targeted muscles to relax. This removes stress on the skin and helps prevent expression lines and wrinkles from forming. There are various manufacturers of the injectable drug Botulinum Toxin, a commonly used brand is Botox. As a result, anti-wrinkle treatments are often referred to as “Botox”.

Dermal fillers are also injections which are used to help smooth and reduce lines around the face. The injections contain hyaluronic acid, a substance which is found naturally in the body and helps retain moisture. This moisture retention helps make the skin look “fuller”. While anti-wrinkle injections are used for prevention and treatment of mild wrinkles, dermal fillers are used to treat moderate to severe wrinkles and skin folds. Dermal fillers can also be used to improve the appearance of facial features in a natural-looking way. This is done by adding volume to the lips, or a “lift” to the face or cheeks. When performed by a qualified practitioner both anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers are simple, safe and effective treatments. For more information you can head to our facial aesthetics page, which is under the “Treatments” tab on our website.

Who can Administer Facial Aesthetic Treatments?

Currently in the UK anyone can legally perform facial aesthetic treatments without any required level of education or qualifications. There are courses and qualifications available for facial aesthetics, however these qualifications are not compulsory to administer these treatments. Anti-wrinkle injections require a prescription from a medical professional such as a doctor, dentist or nurse. However, due to the current lack of legal regulations in the field, non-medical professionals such as beauty therapists and aestheticians can perform these treatments, despite not having adequate medical training, education or licensing.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have proposed an amendment to the 2021 Health and Care bill which would introduce a licensing scheme for providers of cosmetic procedures. The proposal was submitted in March 2022 and aims to establish a consistent level of standards for these procedures. These regulation changes hope to protect patients from poorly performed procedures and the health risks associated with them. To read the full article click here.

Safety Considerations

Although most facial aesthetics providers have the appropriate training and certifications, under-qualified practitioners are still providing treatments. The industry regulations are heading in the right direction, but they are not yet in full effect. Before undergoing facial aesthetic treatment, it is important to make sure that the provider is professionally trained and qualified. This can help ensure safe treatment without any complications. At North Cardiff Dental and Implants our facial aesthetics practitioners have the necessary training and experience to provide safe treatments with great results. More information is available on our facial aesthetics page and our facial aesthetics price list is available on our fees page of the website.