The Government has been told it needs to act fast
The Government should immediately ban Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), MPs have said. Ministers have been accused of “not moving quickly enough” in introducing a licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) of MPs said.
A lack of regulation in the cosmetics industry has led to a “wild west” where patients are receiving procedures in garden sheds, hotel rooms and public toilets, they warned. The committee welcomed Government proposals to make sure that BBLs and other high-risk procedures are only performed by specified health workers.
It pointed out that this would act as a “de facto ban” on these procedures, which “pose a serious threat to patient safety”. But a new WEC report states: “High-harm procedures such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift (BBL), which has resulted in fatalities, should be banned immediately without further consultation.
“A licensing system for lower-risk procedures, in which only those suitably qualified can perform them, should be introduced within this Parliament.” The group of MPs added: “The Government is not moving quickly enough in introducing such a system.
“At present, individuals without any formal training can carry out potentially harmful interventions, placing the public at risk.” Currently, there is no regulation as to who can perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as injectables, including fillers or botulinum toxin injections, often referred to as Botox, laser therapy or chemical peels.
“This has led to a ‘wild west’ in which procedures have reportedly taken place in Airbnbs, hotel rooms, garden sheds and public toilets, leading to many individuals experiencing serious harm,” MPs wrote in their latest report. One woman, Sasha Dean, gave tearful testimony during the MPs’ investigation as she described how she was admitted to intensive care with sepsis and kept in hospital for five weeks after a BBL went wrong.
A BBL is a non-surgical buttock augmentation where dermal fillers are injected to increase volume and shape the buttocks. The committee also heard how mother-of-five Alice Webb, 33, from Gloucestershire, died following a liquid BBL in September 2024.
MPs on the committee suggested that more people are turning to cosmetic procedures because of body image issues due to social media and face-editing technologies. The committee raised concerns over the impacts of influencers “normalising” high-risk procedures.
Meanwhile, the group of MPs said the NHS should record data on cosmetic procedures performed abroad. In 2024, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would work to improve safety for Britons travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures in the wake of several deaths.
WEC chairwoman Sarah Owen said: “Procedures that are deemed high risk such as liquid BBLs and liquid breast augmentations, which have already been shown to pose a serious threat to patient safety, should be banned immediately. “There is no need for further consultation and delay.
“A licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures should be introduced within this Parliament. The Government is not moving quickly enough in introducing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and should accelerate regulatory action.
“Currently, individuals without any formal training can carry out potentially very harmful interventions and often do so in unsafe environments. This ‘wild west’ of procedures is placing the public at risk.”
Ms Owen added: “Regulation has not kept pace with the sector’s expansion. In 2013, the head of the NHS warned that a person having a non-surgical cosmetic intervention has no more protection than someone buying a toothbrush.
“Over a decade later the only thing that has changed is the number of people suffering life-changing and life-threatening injuries.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This Government is taking action to crack down on cosmetic cowboys and root out dangerous treatments. Our tough new measures will ensure only qualified healthcare professionals will be able to perform the highest-risk procedures.
“For anyone considering a cosmetic procedure, please check the provider’s qualifications and insurance – and avoid treatments that appear suspiciously cheap. We will consider the Women and Equalities Committee’s report and respond fully in due course.”
