A new organisation designed to give qualified non-invasive cosmetic surgery practitioners the competitive edge over their less professional counterparts is being launched this summer.

Save Face Ltd (SFL) will operate as an independent and impartial scheme to provide accreditation and regulation to those offering non-surgical cosmetic practice.

For clinicians, it will act as a platform to acknowledge, promote and reward best practice. For consumers, it will be a resource through which they can make an informed decision about both their choice of treatment and provider.

The official launch of Save Face Ltd will take place at the leading industry exhibition for the sector – the Facial Aesthetic Conference and Exhibition (FACE) – at the QEII Centre in London on Friday 20 June. More than 1500 clinicians will attend the show which is the biggest of its kind in the UK.

As well as holding a special reception for guests to mark the launch, representatives from SFL have also been invited to join two expert speaking panels at the event.

Director of Save Face, Brett Collins, said: ‘The explosion in the market place in recent years has resulted in a sea of operators – many of whom are not trained, qualified or audited.  It is an area of great concern, which has been identified but not yet fully addressed.

‘This has resulted in a number of challenges facing the sector – most notably in terms of reputation. There is also concern amongst respected practitioners that there is little to differentiate them from their so called competitors.

‘Save Face will tackle these issues head on by working closely with the industry to provide a platform through which we can champion the most reputable, well qualified and professional practitioners and clinics which offer non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Through our website, consumers can search for and find only the very best practitioners who adhere to the highest industry standards.’

The thinking behind Save Face is to provide an accreditation scheme for practitioners – through robust auditing and monitoring measures – which will enable customers to make an informed decision when selecting a practitioner to undergo non-surgical cosmetic treatments. It will also highlight the prospective risks, complications and effects consumers may face if they opt for treatments by untrained and unqualified practitioners.

Co-director, Ashton Honeyball, said: ‘An industry benchmark which informs and protects the consumer is long overdue. Equally, it is high time that clinicians who constantly seek to improve and invest in best practice are acknowledged, differentiated and rewarded. We are looking forward to making our introduction at the FACE exhibition and liaising directly with the practitioners themselves to help support both the future and the image of the industry.’

The Save Face business model has been developed in response to recommendations outlined in the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions report produced by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, which advocated clear standards of practice and formal accreditation of all providers who undertake surgical and non-surgical cosmetic interventions.

To achieve accreditation by Save Face, practitioners must have:

  • Achieved accredited qualifications
  • Operate from premises meeting certain requirements
  • Adhere to a code of conduct which covers handling complaints and redress, insurance, responsible advertising practice and consent packages
  • Continued demonstration of competence through an annual appraisal

Ashton added: ‘It is critical that we create an informed and empowered public which is given as much evidence based information as possible to help them make the right choice. It is also important that they can differentiate between practitioners and premises that attain standards from those who do not.  The scheme is not an end point for practitioners either, its aim is to drive continuous improvement.’

The delivery of the Save Face accreditation programme will be managed by a non-executive advisory board. Save Face Ltd has its head office in South Wales and works with consumers and clinicians across the UK. The business model has been developed by the two directors Brett Collins and Ashton Honeyball who have appointed two highly experienced clinical directors – Marie Dolan and Emma Davies – to work directly with industry professionals.