People seeking cosmetic treatments should be wary of using cheap practices set up during the Covid outbreak, a Norwich doctor has warned.
Ryan Taylor, an aesthetics doctor, has just reopened his private practice operating from Pampers beauty salon in London street, after coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
But Mr Taylor – who is also currently working in A&E at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital because skin operations, his speciality, were cancelled because of Covid – is starting to see some real horror stories.
Already the doctor has been asked to correct some fillers which were botched during lockdown when people should not have been practicing at all. After considering whether he could help correct the work, he chose to decline, advising them to return to the original practitioner.
MORE: Zaks restaurant in Mousehold to reopen for dining in
“I am always happy to see people like this but it is difficult because different people practice different techniques,” he said. “But I was quite surprised anyone was practicing as I knew all the reputable people had closed up because of coronavirus.”
He said that government advice had not been forthcoming about aesthetics practice throughout coronavirus – and this may have led to people deciding to offer treatments like Botox and fillers at a cheaper price when they were not qualified to do so.
“I had two separate people come to me during lockdown to ask for help correcting treatments. It has highlighted that like many other industries, aesthetics practice can be quite fragile and a lot of people struggled as their source of income completely stopped. Fortunately, as I still work within the NHS, I was able to pick up some extra shifts to cover me through this time.
“When it came to easing lockdown, the debate about recognising ‘medical aesthetics’ apart from aesthetics performed by beauticians was reignited. For the most part, aesthetics was lumped together with beauticians and it was difficult to find clear guidance. I think moving forward there will be more of a push from medical practitioners to define themselves as separate from beauticians.”
Lockdown has resulted in Mr Taylor revising his cosmetic surgery service, offering the initial consultations online and he’s also now offering a new product, an eyelash growth serum, that is only available by prescription after a consultation but which can be sent out to be administered yourself at home.
Check out some successful cosmetic work by using the before and after picture sliders on this page.
Getting a chin filler
Annabel (who asked not to be fully identified) was not happy with her chin in profile pictures. So, with her wedding looming, decided to pay £150 for a filler.
Dermal fillers can be used to enhance the appearance of the chin area, stiffening the skin and defining the chin and jowl area. They consist of a gel-like substance as well as hyaluronic acid which can absorb up to 1,000 times its own molecular weight in water, making it a super-hydrator and supporter of the skin tissues.
A chin filler should form a scaffold-like structure, re-shaping the area and acting like cartilage.
But Annabel was not happy with the results, and had the filler dissolved and then refilled costing several hundred pounds more. However she was still not keen on the results so went to another beautician. After this, the results “went all lumpy”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here