A woman who has defended non-healthcare professionals performing cosmetic enhancements for years has made a U-turn as she slams the “horrendous” industry. Maxine McCarthy, 43, began training in aesthetics when she was 28 before going on to found a multi-million pound business that provides training to others hoping to follow in her footsteps. Maxine has spent years defending the training of non-healthcare professionals who hope to deliver cosmetic enhancements to thousands of Brits.

But she has now made a dramatic U-turn after claiming the industry has become “horrendous” as she calls on the government to introduce new regulations.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the CEO said: “I feel disappointed by the way the industry has gone. I basically started it. It’s my business module that has been copied by many. No one dared train in aesthetics when I started out. People were frightened.

“We used to get criticised for it. But now, the level of training has changed and you can pass within five days.

“The government are looking at introducing new regulations and I’m all for it because these fast track courses that are being offered to people starting out are dangerous.”

There are no legal requirements in the UK for someone practicing in aesthetics to have a nursing qualification.

Demand for treatments like dermal fillers has exceeded dramatically in the past few years, with numerous practitioners offering treatments in the UK.

And Maxine claims that the number of people offering “back-door” treatments is on the rise, with some practioners working from the comfort of their own homes.

She added: “The aesthetic industry is worth millions worldwide. If you’re doing aesthetic treatments and don’t know how to resolve issues if something goes wrong, put the needle down.

“There is this new trend at the moment where people are having their filler dissolved and then refilled straight away. This is shocking to me. You should not be injecting a prescription medicine, manipulating it, and then re-injecting straight away.

“A lot of these people are not insured if something does go wrong. You don’t know who you can trust anymore which is why it’s so important to do your research.”

Social media has long been blamed for the increased demand for cosmetic enhancements in the UK, with Snapchat and Instagram filters offering young people a warped version of themselves complete with filler and make-up.

The UK market for cosmetic procedures was estimated to be worth as much as £3.6billion in 2015, but is thought to have grown even more since then.

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Maxine added: “There needs to be regulated qualifications before someone is able to offer these services. The government need to stop training academies from offering fast track pathways into the industry.

“There needs to be premise licenses and personal licenses, as well as insurance in case anything does go wrong.

“I was the first person to offer pathways for non-medics to get into aesthetics, but mine was regulated. I’m not happy with how the industry has gone.

“I used to defend non medics for a decade and have come under fire, but now I don’t get involved because I partly agree with the criticism.”

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