BCAM’s new campaign empowers patients to ask the right questions – and gives the aesthetics industry a much-needed integrity check.
The British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) has launched its national “Vet It Before You Get It” initiative – a campaign urging anyone considering injectables to pause before the needle and ask: Who’s treating me? What are they using? And is this clinic medically regulated?
Fronted by journalist and beauty expert Alice Hart-Davis and led by BCAM President Dr Sophie Shotter, the campaign responds to sobering new data: more than 3,000 complications were treated by BCAM doctors last year, two-thirds of which originated from non-medical practitioners. Fillers accounted for nearly nine out of ten of those incidents – proof, says Dr Shotter, that “regulation is no longer optional, it is urgent.”
At the heart of the initiative is BCAM’s new Pre-Consultation Safety Questionnaire – a six-step checklist that helps consumers vet a clinic before booking. The form can be downloaded, emailed and completed in advance, sparing awkward in-room questions while ensuring transparency about practitioner credentials, insurance, products and emergency protocols. It’s a simple intervention, but one that could prevent serious harm.
Longevity.Technology’s Clinics Directory shares BCAM’s mission to empower people to make informed, confident choices about their care. The directory offers a way to explore hundreds of vetted longevity and aesthetic clinics, compare treatments and check credentials before stepping through the door. Patients can even use the BCAM questionnaire in tandem – researching clinics in our directory, then sending the form to shortlisted providers for full peace of mind.
As BCAM’s COO Sadie Van Sanden Cooke notes, the campaign “unites clinicians, media and sector in raising standards and protecting patients from the growing risks of unregulated practice.”
Because longevity isn’t just about extending life – it’s about making smart, safe choices along the way.
Start your research with confidence – explore the Longevity Clinics Directory
