'Cosmetic cowboys' to face fines if they carry out risky procedures

Brazilian butt lifts and other cosmetic procedures that inject filler into parts of the body will only be performed by doctors under new government rules to crackdown on "cosmetic cowboys".

The new restrictions are being set out for cosmetic surgical procedures including liquid BBLs and chemical peels to protect patients from dangerous "rogue operators".

It is hoped the new laws will ensure that only properly trained professionals carry out the most serious, high-risk cosmetic procedures.

Treatments that involve injecting fillers anywhere other than the face, such as BBLs, would be legally defined as cosmetic surgical procedures - meaning only doctors could perform them.

Other non-surgical procedures deemed high-risk - such as deep chemical peels, vampire facials, dermal micro-coring and some laser procedures - could only be carried out by doctors, dentists, midwives, pharmacists and some nurses.

Anyone who violates the rules could be hit with unlimited fines or fixed penalties up to £4,000.

The government also wants to implement a licensing scheme to make sure anyone offering treatments such as Botox and lip fillers meet strict safety standards.

Victoria Brownlie, chief policy and sustainability officer at the British Beauty Council, said: "Over a number of years, the line between a beauty treatment and a medical procedure has blurred.

"A lack of regulation in what has become a booming market has led to an exploitation of these gaps, placing members of the public at serious risk."

The regulations would also stop under-18s from having risky cosmetic or wellbeing treatments.

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Health minister Karin Smyth said: "If you're planning to undergo a major cosmetic procedure, you deserve to know you're in safe hands - not risking your life with a rogue operator.

"These changes mean that only properly trained professionals can carry out the most serious, high-risk procedures, and that young people will be shielded from treatments that can go badly wrong.

"We want to drive cosmetic cowboys out of the market and raise standards across the board, giving reputable businesses a fair chance to thrive by helping people identify safe, qualified providers they can trust."

The changes come after the death of Alice Webb, a 33-year-old mother of five who died after undergoing a liquid BBL in a salon in Gloucester in 2024.

Ashton Collins, co-founder of Save Face - the register for safe medical aesthetic practitioner - has campaigned for more stringent regulations since 2023.

She said: "This consultation gives the public, practitioners, and experts the chance to help shape the final framework. We urge everyone to respond, and we look forward to the legislation being brought before parliament so that it can be enacted as soon as possible to prevent further harm."

The government is launching a consultation to gather views from clinicians, regulators, businesses, the public and other experts on the draft regulations.

Keith Allison, cosmetic surgery co-lead at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said the consultation is "long overdue" but the proposals "do not go far enough".

He added: "A doctor should not be able to carry out cosmetic surgery simply because they hold a medical licence.

"We want the government to ensure that anyone performing cosmetic surgery has the appropriate surgical training and expertise for the procedures they undertake."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Cosmetic cowboys' to face fines if they carry out risky procedures