England Plans to Limit Liquid BBLs and Vampire Facials to Trained Professionals, With Fines Up to £4,000

The government has put forward draft rules to stop untrained operators from carrying out the riskiest cosmetic procedures in England. The Department of Health and Social Care announced the plans today, Oct. 21, and launched a consultation on them.

At the moment, nobody has to hold any qualification to perform these "no scalpel" procedures. That is the gap ministers say they want to close.

What the draft rules would do

Fillers injected anywhere other than the face, including liquid Brazilian butt lifts, would be legally defined as cosmetic surgery. Only doctors could perform them.

High-risk non-surgical treatments would be restricted to doctors, dentists and some trained nurses, midwives and pharmacists. The list includes deep chemical peels, vampire facials, dermal micro-coring and some laser procedures.

Cosmetic surgery and other high-risk treatments would be banned for anyone under 18. Lip fillers and facial Botox for children have already been stopped.

Providers who break the rules could face new criminal offences, fixed penalties of up to £4,000, or unlimited fines.

The human cost behind it

Alice Webb, a 33-year-old mother of five from Gloucestershire, died within hours of a liquid BBL in 2024. Her death prompted public campaigning for tighter rules.

The same year, Sasha Dean of Bedfordshire was left in a coma after a liquid BBL, part of which took place in a private house. She developed sepsis. "I had a heart attack, one of my lungs had collapsed, my kidneys were failing. My body was just completely shutting down," she told the BBC.

Patients have also described treatments carried out in Airbnbs, hotel rooms, garden sheds and public toilets.

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." She said the aim is to "drive cosmetic cowboys out of the market" and give reputable businesses "a fair chance to thrive."

Industry and critics

The British Beauty Council said the government should be congratulated for tackling the issue head-on.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England backs the direction but says the draft falls short. Keith Allison, its cosmetic surgery co-lead, called the consultation "long overdue." He warned that stronger rules for non-surgical work while leaving cosmetic surgery largely unchanged "will create an unacceptable gap in patient protection."

"A doctor should not be able to carry out cosmetic surgery simply because they hold a medical license," Allison said. The college wants anyone performing cosmetic surgery to have surgical training and expertise in the specific operation.

Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee, went after the pace. She said the committee's February report called for procedures such as liquid BBLs and liquid breast augmentations to be banned immediately. "Another consultation into 2027 without immediate safeguards is no substitute for timely action," she said. "Delays are prolonging a significant risk to patient safety."

Bailey did welcome the planned licensing system for non-surgical procedures, which she said will arrive within this Parliament. She said the government "is not moving quickly enough."

How long this has taken

The government first consulted on changes to the cosmetic surgery industry in 2023. Calls for tougher regulation go back further. Today's announcement is a consultation on draft rules, not a law in force.

Doctors, regulators, businesses, the public and other experts can now respond. The plans are then due to go through Parliament in spring 2027.

A separate licensing scheme for Botox and lip filler clinics, covering hygiene and competence standards, has already been announced. The government has reaffirmed that commitment.

Other parts of the UK

Scotland has moved faster. Laws passed there in March require cosmetic procedures to be performed by, or alongside, certain healthcare professionals in a registered setting. Non-surgical procedures are banned for under-18s.

Wales and Northern Ireland have no dedicated regulations on cosmetic procedures.

It is not yet clear how the final rules will treat cosmetic surgery itself. The Royal College of Surgeons wants specific surgical training required. The draft as announced ties liquid BBLs to doctors but sets no such requirement for surgery generally. Until the consultation closes and ministers publish a response, that gap stays open, and so does the timetable for any ban.