In the days just before Christmas the Scottish Government launched its long-awaited consultation on proposed regulations to tackle the problem of unlicensed cosmetic procedures in Scotland.

The consultation has so far only attracted modest attention, which the cynical among us may view as a deliberate strategy to launch the proposal during the busy pre - Christmas news period.

Having reviewed their proposals, I can understand why the Scottish Government may be keen to attract as little attention as possible.

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It has all the trappings of political manoeuvring, trying to keep as many people happy as possible, without really addressing the core issue: patient safety.

The government has proposed grouping cosmetic procedures into three categories.

The first category encompasses the least invasive procedures that carry the lowest risk and can be performed by virtually anyone in licensed premises.

This approach is similar to the way tattoo and body piercing studios are currently regulated, ensuring basic hygiene standards are met.

The treatments that fall into this category are things like microneedling, where small needles penetrate the surface of the skin but without having any deeper structural implications, and very mild chemical peels which are essentially a step up from facials in beauty salons.

So far, so good. This categorisation seems logical and proportionate.

Unfortunately, the logic ends there.

Group two proposes a list of procedures that can be performed by anyone, if they are ‘supervised’ by a healthcare professional in a Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) regulated clinic.

Group three, by contrast, includes procedures that can only be carried out by a healthcare professional.

And this is where the proposals get messy and appear to have nothing to do with patient safety, and everything to do with politics.

The Scottish Government's new consultation was launched on December 20 (Image:........

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