A number of Irish medical experts recently took part in a conference on managing aesthetics complications in general practice and emergency medicine.
Taking place in Dublin's Herbert Park Hotel on 24 February, the event featured speakers such as Dr Jennifer Owens, owner of The Glow Clinic in Dublin and Cork; Dr Sean Fitzpatrick, Dr Eithne Brenner, Dr Steven Land, Dr Sophie Shotter and Anna Gunning RN.
Addressing a diverse audience of HSE professionals, general practice doctors and nurses, the speakers focused on the complexities of aesthetic medicine, and its potential complications.
One of the central themes of the conference was the prevalence of adverse effects stemming from unregulated practices and unsterile environments in aesthetic procedures.
Representing the Irish Faculty of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, Dr Ownes emphasised the urgent need for stricter regulations in Ireland's aesthetic medicine landscape.
“The safety and wellbeing of patients must be our foremost priority,” she said. “We must advocate for rigorous standards to ensure that individuals seeking aesthetic treatments receive them from qualified practitioners in sterile settings.”
The members of the Irish Faculty of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine repeated calls for Government intervention to enforce stricter regulations. “Regulation is essential to safeguarding patients and upholding the integrity of aesthetic medicine," said Dr Fitzpatrick. “We must work collaboratively with policymakers to implement measures that prioritise patient safety.”
The conference comes at a time when there is considerable publicity around the aesthetics industry in Ireland. A recent RTÉ documentary showed how prescription-only beauty procedures are being administered by unqualified people around the country.
RTÉ Investigates: Botox & Beauty at Any Costs also revealed that large quantities of prescription-only products, including Botox, are being brought into Ireland, with one major supplier selling the product from Korea.