A CLINIC in Marlow offering cosmetic treatments has become the first of its kind to join a register designed to prevent cowboy traders.

Appearance Based Medicine on Dean Street has been accredited by ‘Save Face’, which was launched to bring regulation to the market offering procedures like dermal fillers and skin peels.

Legally, anyone in the UK can carry out these kinds of treatments and the industry has come under huge pressure to provide protection for patients from cowboy practitioners.

Save Face is the first organisation in the UK to provide a register of accredited practitioners – all of which have been visited and assessed for professionalism, qualifications and safety.

Owner Clare McLoughlin, a member of the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses and the British Association of Sclerotherapists, said: “Save Face is filling a huge gap in the non-invasive cosmetic treatment market. For years, the industry has desperately needed some form of regulation and guidance. Patients are left in the dark when it comes to choosing a practitioner.

“They have no way of knowing if the person is who they say they are, what products they are using or if the clinic is up to standards. They are at risk of falling prey to unscrupulous and inexperienced practitioners or going for the cheapest option and the results can be disastrous.”

The non-surgical cosmetic treatment market is currently worth £2.3 billion to the British economy and is set to increase to £3.6 billion by 2015. The Save Face register is only open to registered doctors, dentists and nurses who can demonstrate that they are insured and have received certified training.

All premises are inspected and practitioners must operate against best practice standards and have policies and procedures that demonstrate this.

The organisation also offers patients independent and unbiased information on non-surgical cosmetic treatments on its website www.saveface.co.uk.