Viacheslav Iakobchuk/ Alamy Stock Photo
The government has announced plans to crack down on high-risk cosmetic such as liquid Brazilian butt lifts, vampire facials and chemical peels.
In a consultation document, published on 21 October 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care said that under its proposals, high-risk non-surgical procedures for cosmetic or wellbeing purposes could only be performed by independent prescribing (IP) pharmacists, IP nurses, IP midwives, doctors and dentists.
Such procedures include non-resorbable facial fillers, deep chemical peels, dermal microcoring, intravenous procedures of any substance, certain types of laser treatment, subcision, and any procedure that involves a separate anaesthetic injection or in which a therapeutic product derived from human blood or plasma is introduced into the body, the consultation document added.
It also highlighted that fillers injected into any part of the body other than the face — including liquid Brazilian butt lifts — will be legally defined as cosmetic surgical procedures, meaning only doctors could perform them.
High-risk procedures will be restricted to over-18s unless they are provided by the NHS or to treat a medical condition, the consultation document said, adding that providers that breach these regulations would be subject to enforcement action from the Care Quality Commission, which could include a fine, a criminal investigation or imprisonment.
The consultation is open for responses until 13 January 2027.
