Getting a botox shot at the hairdresser, beautician or dentist…. as of Nov. 20, 2019, this is no longer possible. New and strict rules on this have been drawn up by the Health Care Inspectorate and only qualified doctors are still allowed to indulge in cosmetic procedures. The Volkskrant reported below on this new and good development.
Getting a crow’s foot next to your eye done away with by the hairdresser or having your forehead smoothed out with a botox treatment at the dentist – as of Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, that is a thing of the past and only qualified doctors are allowed to indulge in cosmetic care procedures.
Actually, hundreds of unauthorized beauticians, barbers or tanning salons were already not allowed to offer lip filling or other cosmetic treatments. But the Health Care Inspectorate had little ability to intervene. That’s about to change, according to the quality framework for cosmetic care published Wednesday by the Healthcare Institute.
Tighter enforcement means that the dentist who injects some botox into the face after a dental checkup to get rid of puffiness can soon expect a supervisor on their doorstep. Because dentists are only allowed to do cosmetic “side jobs” with a dental purpose.
Encouraged in part by beauty vloggers, in recent years more and more Dutch people allowed themselves to be seduced by amateurishly performed procedures. With risks of infection, disfigurement, scarring or an expressionless face. There have long been concerns about this among qualified providers of cosmetic care. Three years ago, researchers and doctors at the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam warned of the risks.
Fine
The inspectorate also has long viewed non-medical treatments in backrooms of a tanning salon or at a hair salon with concern. But the watchdog could do no more than warn. The rules have now been adjusted accordingly, requiring all Dutch providers to be qualified and licensed as physicians, provide clear and transparent information to patients about treatments and publish quality reports about them. If health care providers do not meet the required standards, the inspectorate can impose a fine, temporarily close a “clinic” or, in the case of dentists, go to the disciplinary court.
‘Because commercial parties also offer cosmetic care, it is extra important to monitor quality,’ said Catharina Meijer, president of the Dutch Society for Cosmetic Medicine(NVCG). ‘Most cosmetic procedures are minor treatments, such as botox, fillers, laser treatments and eyelid surgery. There is a relatively low medical risk to that, but because of that, the market is growing very fast. That is why it is good that there are now quality requirements and cosmetic doctors are being given a medical discipline.
Physician Peter Driessen is also pleased that the inspectorate will now be more strictly monitoring the beauty industry. Thus, the industry is slowly maturing he states. ‘Fifteen years ago was really a cowboy time. People just sprayed around. But you have to be sure that the person treating you knows what he’s doing.’
Source: De Volkskrant Nov. 19, 2019
