Scottish Medical Aesthetics Safety Group - SMASG

31/07/2026

‼️ When you hear the word "NURSE," you automatically think of years of medical training, clinical expertise, and a trusted professional bound by a strict code of ethics.

But right now, in the UK, anyone can legally call themselves a nurse.While "Registered Nurse" is protected, the simple term "nurse" is not.

This dangerous loophole allows unregulated, non-medic cosmetic injectors and beauty therapists to market themselves as "aesthetic nurses" online.

We have seen the alarming results of poor practice:

Non-medic "cowboy" injectors administering powerful prescription-only treatments like Botox without a proper face-to-face medical assessment.

Unqualified individuals using cheap, internet-bought fillers that result in vascular occlusions, necrosis, or severe infections—with zero clinical knowledge or emergency dissolving kits to manage a crisis.

Misleading advertising that tricks the public into believing a weekend beauty course equates to three years of an intensive university nursing degree and clinical practice.

A title shouldn't just be a marketing trick. It should be a legal guarantee of safety, education, and accountability.

It’s time to back full legal protection for the title "nurse" so patients never have to second-guess who is holding the syringe.

Please help keep the public safe and complete this very quick and important public survey.!❤️😇🎓

https://consultations.dhsc.gov.uk/using-the-professional-title-nurse

If you navigate away from the survey, your progress will be automatically saved. If you reopen the link in the same browser that you started the survey, you will be able to continue your response.

17/07/2026

‼️BREAKING NEWS: Is Scotland about to become an international embarrassment on public safety? ⚠️

Are they going to allow members of the public to perform invasive, injectable cosmetic procedures under "questionable" medical supervision.

The shocking reality? Because of "costs," regulators will only inspect these premises one day EVERY THREE OR FOUR YEARS. 🛑

Does that sound like robust regulation to you, or a disaster waiting to happen?

As Scotland continues to look at strengthening regulations around cosmetic procedures, India's decisive action provides a compelling blueprint. By legally limiting invasive treatments to qualified healthcare professionals, they have delivered a clear, robust safety message that protects the public and draws a hard line against illicit practitioners.

Ministers: Are you really going to allow this?

The clarification by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's (CDSCO) aims to prevent misuse of cosmetic products and protect consumers amid the rising popularity of non-surgical aesthetic procedures promoted on social media

19/05/2026

‼️ Never receive Botox injections unless you have first been assessed by a registered healthcare professional in a clinic registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Illegal counterfeit products are widespread across Scotland.

PLEASE BE SAFE ‼️🙏

Check out Save Face’s video.

19/05/2026

‼️BREAKING NEWS‼️ALERT: Suspected botulism cases linked to beauty injections (Leeds)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned of a small number of suspected botulism cases in the Leeds area this week, linked to cosmetic procedures involving botulinum toxin.

Botulism is rare but potentially very serious. Symptoms can include:

* Severe drooping of the upper eyelids
* Double vision
* Difficulty swallowing
* Slurred speech
* Lethargy

If you’ve recently had an aesthetic treatment and develop any of these symptoms, seek urgent medical advice via NHS 111 or attend A\&E.

UKHSA is also urging people to take precautions when booking aesthetic procedures and to use a licensed practitioner. This follows previous UKHSA reports (summer 2025) of dozens of botulism poisonings linked to unlicensed/counterfeit “botox-like” products in the UK.

Please share to help raise awareness and keep others safe.

UK Health Security Agency says a small number of cases of the infection are suspected in Leeds.

17/05/2026

The newly enacted Scottish legislation on non-surgical cosmetic procedures marks an important step forward for patient safety and professional standards in medical aesthetics.

For BCAM members — this is a positive development and reflects the direction our profession has long supported: safer, medically led aesthetic practice with robust clinical governance.

As regulation in aesthetics evolves, medically qualified practitioners are best placed to meet the increasing expectations around:
• patient assessment and consent
• prescribing governance
• complication management
• safeguarding and duty of candour
• evidence-based practice and CPD

This legislation further reinforces the distinction between regulated medical aesthetics and unregulated cosmetic treatment provision. (Link in bio)

BCAM welcomes continued progress toward:

* higher national standards,
* improved patient protection,
* greater professional accountability,
* and recognition that aesthetic medicine and dentistry are clinical disciplines requiring appropriate medical training and oversight.

We will continue to engage with developments across the UK and support members with guidance as further Scottish regulations and implementation details emerge.

17/05/2026

‼️Breaking News‼️

🚨 We have been made aware of clinics receiving unsolicited GLP-1 medications and peptides despite not ordering them and without holding prescriptions for these products.

One clinic reported receiving a package containing injectable products with no cooling packs, no prior contact with the sender, and no request having been made for the items. Of additional concern was enclosed material encouraging recipients to become distributors.

If you are a clinic owner or practitioner and have experienced anything similar, please let us know. It is important that the sector remains vigilant and continues sharing information regarding unsolicited deliveries of prescription-only medications and peptides.

Please remain cautious and report any similar incidents.

03/04/2026

No words 🥲

Save Face collaborated with Channel 5 News on an undercover investigation that exposed bogus surgeon Luyen Vu performing high-risk surgical procedures such as facelifts and blepharoplasties in a living room. The appointments were being arranged by the self-titled 'Lip King' Jordan Parke, who is curr...

01/04/2026

‼️ Update - Scottish Medical Aesthetics Safety Group (SMASG) – Public Position Statement

The Scottish Medical Aesthetics Safety Group exists to promote patient safety, ethical practice, and high clinical standards within non-surgical aesthetics.

SMASG members do not engage in the teaching, or delivery of training courses, access programmes, supervision pathways, or competency sign-off for non-medical practitioners who provide invasive injectable treatments. This includes the enablement, expansion, or legitimise the delivery of prescription-only or otherwise invasive injectable procedures by individuals who are not regulated medical professionals.

Why we are taking this position

Our decision is based on patient safety and the realities of clinical competence:

📒 Safe injectable practice is inseparable from medical training and clinical exposure:

▶️ Invasive injectable treatments require more than technical injection skills. Safe practice depends on the ability to:
▶️ take a comprehensive medical history and assess risk factors,
▶️ recognise red flags and contraindications,
▶️ conduct ethical consultations and obtain valid informed consent,
▶️ understand anatomy, pharmacology, and disease processes in depth,
▶️ make safe clinical judgments when presentations are unclear or evolving.

📕 Managing complications requires real-world emergency and acute-care experience

Even in the best hands, complications can occur. Managing events such as vascular compromise, severe allergic reactions, infection, necrosis, or other acute presentations requires clinicians who can respond immediately, calmly, and correctly, drawing on extensive experience in:

▶️ recognising deterioration early,
▶️ emergency assessment and escalation,
▶️ appropriate treatment pathways and referral,
▶️ documentation and follow-up care.

AND A PRESCRIBING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL ON SITE AT ALL TIMES!

These capabilities are developed through substantial supervised clinical practice within regulated healthcare settings—not through short or modular aesthetics courses.

📗 Public protection relies on professional regulation and accountability. Regulated medical professionals have a clear framework of:

✅ professional standards and scope of practice,
✅ mandatory governance and fitness-to-practise oversight,
✅ clinical accountability, documentation standards, and safeguarding duties,
✅ pathways for complaints, investigation, and sanction.

‼️ Where this level of accountability is absent, there is a higher risk of non-compliance and unsafe practice, and fewer effective mechanisms for public recourse when things go wrong.

Our commitment

SMASG supports robust regulation and higher standards across the sector, and we will continue to:

✅ advocate for patient safety–led policy,
✅ support evidence-based education for regulated medical practitioners,
✅ promote ethical practice, transparent consent, and complication preparedness,
✅ engage constructively with regulators and government to improve public protection.

❤️ Message to the public

If you are considering invasive injectable treatments, we encourage you to seek care from a regulated healthcare professional working within a NHS/HIS regulated setting where there are clear complication pathways and accountability.

This statement reflects SMASG’s patient safety position and our commitment to responsible practice in Scotland. 🎓😇

01/04/2026

📍 Here is our OFFICIAL SMASG verified location map for regulated Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS/NHS) aesthetics clinics to access safe regulated medical aesthetics treatments in Scotland.

💜 Purple Pins are HIS Regulated Independent Clinics

💙 Blue Markers are Dental Clinics providing regulated medical aesthetics treatments

We know there are many more responsible, safety-focused HIS-regulated clinics and dental clinics across Scotland. Please get in touch to have your clinic listed and to join our free-to-access community. 🥰❤️

If you are a patient please share this post to your safe, regulated practitioner! 😇

The Scottish Medical Aesthetics Safety Group (SMASG) is a voluntary organisation with free membership. We aim to protect the public from harm and promote safe practice in medical aesthetics. If you are a HIS-registered clinic owner and only permit medics and registered healthcare professionals to deliver invasive injectable aesthetic treatments, please contact us to have your clinic listed free of charge.

Welcome to THE OFFICIAL verified location map for regulated Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS/NHS) Medical Aesthetics Clinics. ALL CLINICS ON THIS MAP only allow registered healthcare professionals, such as Nurses, Dentists, and Doctors, to administer invasive Anti-Wrinkle, Dermal Filler, and Ski...

31/03/2026

❤️🙏 A heartfelt thank you to Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, for your swift response to such an important issue and for driving forward the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill.

To see this move from initial discussions to a newly passed law in just two years is an incredible achievement—and a clear sign of real commitment to improving standards, regulation and patient safety across Scotland.

This is a major step forward for the non-surgical aesthetics sector and for protecting the public. Thank you for your leadership, your engagement, and for making progress happen at pace! 🙏❤️