Chris Inglefield, from London Bridge Plastic Surgery, said: “Injectable fillers provide a safe, non-surgical option for women and men who want to smooth facial wrinkles and folds without surgery, such as a brow lift or lower face lift. Lidocaine is a common local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic drug used to relieve itching, burning and pain from skin inflammations, injected as a dental anesthetic or as a local anesthetic for minor surgery.”

Lights and lasers, used for hair removal and facial peels, where a layer of skin is removed to reveal brighter skin underneath, will come under statutory regulation by the Care Quality Commission.

Chris Inglefield from London Bridge Plastic Surgery said a voluntary scheme for injectables and a statutory one for lasers did not make sense.

Sally Taber, director of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services which is funded by private healthcare companies and will run the scheme, said government ministers had decided that there was not enough money to bring in statutory regulation.

Unscrupulous practitioners have been administering Botox injections and wrinkle fillers at parties and in their homes and complaints of botched treatment have increased.

Experts have been calling for statutory regulation for years but ministers have again rejected the move and are backing the voluntary scheme instead.

London Bridge Plastic Surgery surgeon, chris Inglefield, says: “The voluntary scheme will see doctors, dentists and registered nurses who have had extra training in Botox and other injectable cosmetic drugs display a quality mark.

“To qualify for the mark they will have to sign up to professional standards and be inspected.

Those holding the quality mark will not be able to administer Botox at parties or prescribe the substances for patients they have not seen. Beauty therapists and other untrained staff will not be allowed to hold the quality mark.

But it will then be up to customers and patients to check they are using a practitioner with the quality mark.”

London Bridge PLastic Surgery surgeon, Chris Inglefield, says: “The bill, which must now be passed by parliament, follows an initiative begun by the Health Ministry after newspapers including la Republica reported on cases of teenaged victims of botched implant surgeries.”

Italian doctors perform about 85,000 breast augmentation procedures every year, the country’s association of plastic surgeons has said.

It is claimed to be better than previous techniques due to the reduced trauma and so patients have reduced bruising and sagging as a result. However, the most up to date Liposuction techniques using Power Assisted Liposuction, PAL / Liposculpture, provides minimal downtime and short recovery with low risks, whereas both Ultrasound VASER and REFAL – Bodytite techniques carry a risk of skin burns and scarring.  A lot of men here ask for breast and abdominal reductions as they are areas they struggle to lose fat by working out in the gym.

Recent national figures show an 80 per cent rise in male breast operations during the past year.

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Surgeon Chris Inglefield recommends you visit a new website www.nowsmile.org which has been created and you can log on NOW to discover the National Orthodontic Week events taking place; find an orthodontist in your area; read 12 information leaflets produced by the BOS about different aspects of orthodontic treatment and enter a competition to win a digital photograph frame (on which perhaps to display your beautiful new smiles!) and top of the range Sonicare sonic toothbrushes.

Chris Inglefield, Surgeon at London Bridge Plastic Surgery, says: “You can check whether your doctor or surgeon is registered using the GMC’s website. You will need their full name to search on the website. The website will give details of their primary speciality, but will not give details of any other specialist qualifications they may hold.

“You can check whether your nurse is registered using the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s searchable database, and you can check whether your dentist is registered by searching the General Dental Council’s database. You will need their full name to perform these searches.

The General Medical Council produces a guidance document – ‘Good Medical Practice’ – which sets out the standards which doctors should meet in their clinical practice.”

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, chair of the Shared Regulation Group at the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service, which will run the scheme, said it was “excellent news” for consumers and “properly-qualified” practitioners.

 He said: “With growth of an estimated 25% of treatments carried out last year alone, the industry and the Department of Health recognised the need to safeguard patients.”

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A new injectable rejuvenating treatment – dubbed the ‘handlift’ – can leave the area plumped-up, smooth and elastic, taking a decade off a woman’s hands. In under 20 minutes, the Restylane Vital treatment delivers injections in the back of the hands of tiny droplets of hyaluronic acid, a substance found naturally in the skin, giving it suppleness. The injections cause water to bind to connective tissue more readily, plumping the skin in a natural way, adding both elasticity and firmness.

Traditionally cosmetic procedures on the hands have involved transplanting fat to the area but the resulting appearance tended to be thick and unnatural. Moisturisers are ineffective as they cannot penetrate the areas of the skin’s dermis where they are needed.

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A male model turned TV presenter has jumped out of an aircraft at 12,000 feet with breast implants strapped to his chest in a lacy bra, all in the name of research for a new TV show.

Stephen Handisides (30) will be seen on the first edition (23 March) of MyFaceMyBody, the new TV show about cosmetic surgery, setting out to ‘bust’ the myth that silicon breast implants can explode during flights due to changes in pressure.

Handisides made the tandem jump over Cambridgeshire late last year with a black bra over his jumpsuit and the implants gaffer-taped in place to ensure they didn’t pop out mid-fall and provide someone on the ground with a nasty surprise! Both implants survived the descent at freefall speeds perfectly, laying to rest the worry some women have about the strength and safety of silicon implants.

Adrenaline-junkie Stephen, who in his career as a model has fronted campaigns for brands including Specsavers, QVC and Intercontinental Hotels, says he made the jump after being asked the same question over and over again:

“Lots of women I’ve met, including some beautiful models I’ve worked with, have expressed interest in getting breast implants but are worried about stories they’ve heard about implants rupturing due to high pressure or even exploding in flight. If that were the case then I think flights to and from Los Angeles would be a very messy business!

“The implants we used for the myth-busting jump were mid-market ones, used by many of the major cosmetic surgery providers. They survived with barely a mark on them despite having been put under enormous pressure during the descent. I hope women now know that if they’re considering breast augmentation, exploding implants is a worry they can cross off their list of things to check out beforehand!”

The full report can be seen on The MyFaceMyBody Show on Tuesday 23 March at 7.30pm on InformationTV, Sky Channel 166 and Freesat 404. The episode will be repeated on Thursdays at 3pm and Sundays at 6.30pm as well as being re-shown every Tuesday at the same time and a new episode every month.

The show is an entirely independent 30 minute chat show, presented by Stephen Handisides (who alongside his work as a model has spent many years working in the cosmetic treatment industry), dedicated to cosmetic surgery, non-surgical procedures, cosmetic dentistry and general aesthetic treatments.

Each episode of the fast-paced and informative programme will give viewers the fascinating lowdown on the latest treatments and procedures to hit the UK market, alongside entertaining ‘myth busting’ missions and revealing vox pops. The programme will also give consumers unbiased information on a huge range of cosmetic surgery treatments now available, the benefits and risks  and important tips on how to go about choosing the right surgeon or clinic.

As well as appearing on Sky TV, the programme will also be available to watch on demand on consumer website MyFaceMyBody.com. The site launched in February 2009 and already carries over 2000 pages of independent treatment advice, 200 educational videos and comprehensive news and events. A pilot episode of MyFaceMyBody is already available to watch on the website. Viewers can also use the website to quiz experts and engage in discussions during or after the show.

ENDS

For all media enquiries including images, footage and interviews with Stephen Handisides, please contact Steve Bustin at Cacique PR on sbustin@caciquepr.com or 020 7250 4750