JCCP Restricts Injectables To Healthcare Professionals
In its most controversial move to date, the registered charity and regulatory Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) has reversed its position on allowing beauty therapists and other unregulated aesthetic practitioners to join its Register of injectables practitioners.
In a press release leaked today, four days ahead of its intended release date, the Council stated that:
The JCCP has now determined that Level 7 treatments that involve injectables and dermal fillers should be performed only by relevantly trained, experienced and proficient healthcare professionals who are Registered on Part 1 of the JCCP Register. The JCCP will therefore now suspend access to its Register for all non-healthcare practitioners who practise Level 7 injectable and/or dermal fillers procedures for a period of 3 years whilst a detailed evaluation can take place of the ‘risks’ involved to the general public.
The move is in-line with the views of many groups of medical and healthcare professionals within and without the aesthetics specialty. Some of the strongest voices against the JCCP have based their criticism exclusively on the JCCP’s inclusion of non-medical professionals for injectables procedures. As such, the decision harmonises with several parts of the medical community, as well as the admissions criteria for most top Level 7 Injectables training courses. That said, the move risks disengaging aestheticians and beauty professionals who currently practice injectables, potentially dissuading them from pursuing higher levels of training and from self-regulation via the JCCP. As such, it will not be without backlash.
So who can register for Injectables, and who cannot?
The restriction applies to those not eligible for Part 1 of the JCCP Register. Part 1 is for Clinical Practitioners. The below table lists those who are eligible for Part 1:
Fortunately, beauty professionals can still join the Register for other aesthetic procedures, such as Skin Rejuvenation treatments, if they are appropriately trained. Appropriate training starts at Level 4 for procedures such as chemical peels and microneedling.
Chair of the JCCP, David Sines, defended the move by restating the inclusive principles of the JCCP:
We will continue to actively encourage non-healthcare practitioners to engage with the work of the Council and the CPSA to improve the safety of their performance and to submit data relating to their practice to inform the evidence base relating to patient safety and risk.
