Healthcare Commission cracks down on unregistered clinics

We were encouraged to read the other day that the Healthcare Commission is cracking down on an estimated 3000 unregistered clinics offering laser and intense pulsed light therapies.

We have seen our fair share of people who have had a horrific experience as a result of a treatment administered by someone who clearly wasn’t qualified so this initiative is welcome among clinics, like ourselves, who take our Healthcare Commission registration seriously.

With about 50 complaints a year from people who had been damaged by treatment to remove facial hair and skin blemishes, as well as evidence of disfigurement as a result of improperly administered laser therapy, Botox injections and anti-wrinkle skin fillers, the Healthcare Commission is launching an undercover surveillance operation to crack down on these rogue beauty clinics, which could involve mystery shoppers to check whether they are trading lawfully.

For those of you who are wondering, the Healthcare Commission is an independent body set up to promote and drive the improvement in the quality of healthcare and public health. As an authoritative and trusted source of information, they fulfill duties within the public healthcare arena and also regulate the independent healthcare sector through registration, annual inspection, monitoring complaints and enforcement.

Such a body plays a vital role in helping you make a decision about the right clinic for any surgical or non-surgical skin teatment and, in the light of this article, protect yourself against those clinics who shouldn’t be carrying out treatments they are not qualified to do.

Here at SkinGenesis, we would always recommend you make sure the clinic explain the risks or side effects of any treatment but visit the Healthcare Commission website for downloadable information sheets (in the Cosmetic Surgery section) if you are considering a treatment or for advice on surgical and non-surgical procedures.  You can also read detailed inspction reports for all registered clinics.