Britain clamps down on facelift 'cowboys'

Britain moved on Friday to impose tougher regulations on the booming cosmetic surgery industry as concerns grow that people seeking beauty can end up disfigured by rogue practitioners.

Tummy tucks, botox injections and other cosmetic procedures will have to be carried out by trained medical staff in the future.

Growing demand for cosmetic surgery and procedures such as laser treatment and botox injections in Britain has increased the need for better training and regulation, the government's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson told reporters.

"Many people spend their hard-earned money on these services. Some are disappointed with the outcome but a minority can suffer serious harm or disfigurement," he said.

"Standards in the cosmetic treatment field must be as high as other areas of healthcare," he added.

The government will force the roughly 20,000 providers to register from next year and take action against organizations that fail to do so.

It will also offer more information to patients and improve staff education and training.

Britons had about 100,000 botox injections last year and spend about 200 million pounds a year on cosmetic surgery, according to some estimates, and Donaldson is worried too many practitioners undertake procedures they are unqualified to do.

He would like cosmetic surgery to be recognized as an area of specialty, as it is in the United States.

Although it may be relatively easy to target High Street shops offering such treatments, it is more problematic to crack down on unofficial practices in homes and hotel rooms, he said.

He highlighted the dangers of "botox parties" where people inject each other with the wrinkle-removing substance after a few drinks. "They are not like Tupperware parties - to inject you need medical training because they can cause harm and disfigurement if they go wrong," said Donaldson.

He also said he would review the safety of aesthetic "fillers," used to raise cheekbones or enlarge lips, particularly those using human and animal tissue, in case there was any risk of infection or blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis or the human form of mad cow disease.

The tissue comes from birds, cows and even dead people.