Botox & dermal fillers for under 18s to be banned

A UK-wide ban on Botox and dermal filler treatments for cosmetic purposes on clients aged under 18 years is to be introduced from 1st October.

Health Minister Nadine Dorries MP has announced that salons and clinics will be responsible for verifying the age of clients prior to treatment. Those that fail to do so will be at risk of prosecution. 

Where there is a medical need for treatment using Botox, a doctor may approve treatment to be administered by medical professionals including doctors, nurses, dentists or pharmacists. 

Writing in the Mail of Sunday, Ms Dorries stated that 41,000 Botox or Dermal Filler treatments were carried out on under 18s in 2020. Laura Trott MP, who has campaigned for the ban, says that in excess of 100,000 under-16s have undergone cosmetic treatments according to estimates.

Ms Dorries dubbed the look achieved by the treatment as the 'Instagram Face' and stated: 

“No child needs cosmetic procedures unless for medical reasons. Their physical and mental development is not complete. 

“Quite rightly, there is widespread concern that young people do not know enough about the decisions they are making, about the risks they bring.”