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26 June 2026
Issue: 8167 / Categories: Legal News , Personal injury , Health & safety , Regulatory
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NLJ this week: Botox boom leaves legal protections lagging behind

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© Getty images
Britain’s booming non-surgical cosmetics market is operating in what some critics describe as a regulatory ‘Wild West’

Writing in NLJ this week, Michael Saul of Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors highlights growing concern that procedures such as lip fillers and fat-dissolving injections can legally be carried out by unlicensed practitioners in settings ranging from hotel rooms to garden sheds.

More than 3,000 complications or unwanted outcomes were reported in 2024, yet long-promised reforms remain incomplete. Saul says injured patients often face a ‘regulatory vacuum’, with inadequate insurance, poor record-keeping and difficulties tracing practitioners. Claims become even more complicated where multiple providers have been involved.

He argues for mandatory licensing, accredited training, stronger advertising controls and compulsory insurance backed by a compensation fund of last resort. Without reform, he warns, patients face heightened risks while lawyers struggle to identify liability and secure compensation when procedures go wrong.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

NEWS
The 25th Pro Bono Week begins today until 6 November, with events hosted by law firms, chambers, law schools and charities across the UK
Pro bono is celebrating a silver anniversary, with initiatives putting businesses and students at the heart of access to justice
Choosing the wrong expert can cost a clinical negligence claimant more than their case
Judges risk weakening their own independence by staying silent over government reforms, a leading public lawyer argues
A discount on damages does not automatically mean an equivalent haircut for legal costs in military deafness claims
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