A Clear Case for Regulation

Across the UK, thousands of professionals—both medical and non-medical—work with the body’s largest organ, skin, every single day. This includes GPs and nurses working in aesthetics, dentists offering skin-based treatments, and skin or beauty therapists working on correction, prevention, and care.

But while some of these practitioners are medically regulated in their clinical work, most are not structurally regulated in their skin-facing roles outside of medicine. And skin therapists—along with beauty therapists—are not regulated at all.

There is:

• No protected title

• No national standard of training

• No legal requirement for CPD

• No public complaints process

• No national register

• No recognition that this is a form of health work

The assumption remains: if someone works with skin, they must be trained and accountable.

That assumption is false—and dangerous.

The Skin Well™ is calling for national oversight that includes all skin-facing roles—not to separate medics from non-medics, but to build a clear, unified framework that protects everyone involved.

The Danger of Partial Regulation

Some might say: “Only advanced procedures need oversight.”

Peels, microneedling, electrolysis, injectables—yes, these need regulation.

But every practitioner works on a vital organ.

If we regulate some skin work, we must acknowledge that all skin work warrants minimum standards.

You can’t regulate half a liver.

You can’t regulate part of a lung.

And you can’t regulate a fraction of the skin.

What’s in a Name?

The UK has no statutory title for anyone working on skin outside of dermatology or plastic surgery.

And there is no UK-wide statutory register for these roles.

This includes a wide and growing group of professionals across settings: skin therapists, aestheticians, medically trained prescribers, facialists, and more.

Many of these professionals work side by side, yet have no shared baseline for training, scope of practice, or public accountability.

One cannot assess the competence of the other.

That’s not just a professional gap—it’s a public safety risk.

The Public Assumes

That skin professionals are trained.

That someone is checking.

That standards are in place.

They are not.

We’re trusting the people who touch our skin every day—offering general advice, prevention, correction, and more.

But we’re not protecting them—or the public—structurally.

While GPs and dermatologists support patients with medical skin concerns, there is no national directive tasking NHS professionals with offering preventative skin care advice. A regulated, qualified skin workforce could fill this gap—relieving pressure on services and helping the public make informed choices long before problems arise.

The Skin Well™ proposes a new statutory regulator:

The General Skin & Aesthetics Council (GSAC)

This Council would:

• Be independent but answerable to the Department of Health and Social Care

• Set and uphold national standards for anyone working directly with the skin

• Register protected professional titles (medics and non-medics)

• Introduce mandatory skin modules from Level 2 to Level 7

• Require CPD

• Offer a public complaints process

• Unite fragmented roles into one coherent, accountable framework

Advisory to the Wider Skin Care Workforce

While this proposal focuses on skin health and aesthetics, it acknowledges that many others work with skin every day, such as GP’s in general practice.

The Council could serve as a central advisory body to existing regulators—including those in health and care—helping shape coherent national messaging, skin education, and best practices.

Clarifying the Role of Dermatologists

Dermatologists remain an essential part of the skin health system and will continue to be regulated through the GMC. This Council does not duplicate or replace medical oversight. Instead, it creates a structured framework for those currently outside statutory protection. Dermatologists working in non-diagnostic or aesthetic contexts would be required to align with Council standards and registration. This ensures consistent oversight across all skin-facing roles—based on scope of practice, not title.

What about the JCCP and Save Face?

Two voluntary registers currently dominate the aesthetics conversation in the UK: the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) and Save Face. Both aim to protect the public from unsafe aesthetic practice—but they are not statutory regulators. Their scope is limited: they focus on cosmetic procedures (particularly injectables), operate on an opt-in basis, and primarily serve medical professionals or those operating under medical oversight.

Neither body sets national education standards across all skin-facing roles. Neither provides statutory accountability. And neither regulates the thousands of qualified non-medics working professionally with skin every day.

What is needed is a national framework—overseen by government—that supports all skin professionals working with the public, from Level 2 to Level 7. Not a voluntary register for a narrow slice of procedures. A statutory council that includes aesthetics, but goes further—linking skin care, skin health, public safety, and professional training in one unified system.

Conclusion

This is not just about regulation.

It’s about recognising skin work as real work.

Professionals deserve:

• A career path

• Minimum standards

• Protected titles

• A voice

The public deserves:

• Confidence that those touching their skin are trained, registered, and safe

• Skin care that understands and protects their skin across life stages

The government deserves:

• A structure that reduces risk, improves outcomes, and aligns with its prevention agenda

And for the nation:

• A reduced burden on the NHS

• Improved early intervention

• A shared understanding that skin health is part of public health

The Skin Well™ believes this is achievable and calls on the UK government to support the creation of GSAC:

a national regulatory framework for skin health and aesthetics—where the public is protected, professionals are respected, and the UK leads the way in modern, inclusive, skin-informed care.