03/12/2008: County Firm Backs Calls for Treatment Regulation
A leading Shropshire provider of anti-ageing treatments has joined criticism of the Government’s failure to regulate the industry.
Smile Direct, based in Wem, specialises in anti-ageing treatments and LED teeth whitening, working out of a variety of salons throughout Shropshire and beyond.
Registered nurse and director of the business, Linda Nicol, said a decision by the Government to encourage self-regulation of the sector was a missed opportunity to provide protection and reassurance to consumers.
She explained: “Leading industry bodies and practitioners have been calling for this area to be regulated by the Healthcare Commission for treatments such as Botox because at the moment it can be administered by unqualified people. The Government has said the industry should regulate itself and we don’t think that’s good enough.
“While anti-ageing treatments are not overly invasive or complex, I think customers have the right to know that the people delivering them are working to a properly policed industry standard and to be able to ask for proof of this before undergoing treatment. We are very careful to explain everything to our clients and ensure that they have proper follow-up.”
Currently anyone can set up a business offering injections of dermal fillers (such as Botox) and other cosmetic treatments without obtaining any official approval or qualifications. The Government’s failure to change this situation has drawn criticism from many quarters.
Linda added: “As a registered nurse I am confident in the safe use of these treatments. We always work in a controlled environment where we can make the client comfortable. Very often the alternative can be a ‘Botox party’ where the alcohol could be flowing, and we don’t see that as a very good approach at all.
“It might only take one bad news story about an inexperienced provider causing a problem for a client to set the whole industry back badly, and that’s the last thing any of us, providers or clients, want.”
Smile Direct’s LED teeth whitening treatments are also performed by an experienced and properly trained dental technician, Alan Pearce. The company operates throughout Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Mid and North Wales and the West Midlands.
