Aesthetic medicine is a medical discipline undertaken by registered and regulated healthcare professionals who have trained as doctors and dentists.
It comprises a range of minor surgical and non-surgical procedures, performed under local or topical anaesthesia.
These are used to revise, enhance, treat or change the appearance, colour, texture, structure or position of the cutaneous, subcutaneous tissues or associated structures using techniques which combine both medical and aesthetic considerations for the patient.
All BCAM members are doctors and dentists practising aesthetic medicine, and the College recommends that aesthetic treatments are carried out by healthcare professionals to ensure patient safety and the highest standards of clinical knowledge and expertise.
All treatments carry risks, no matter how small, and it is important that patients have a full understanding of these risks before they proceed. Not only are BCAM members highly qualified to treat patients, they also have the necessary physiological knowledge and access to prescription-only medicines that may be required if complications occur. This is not the case with aesthetic treatments carried out in a beauty environment.
BCAM aims to provide you with information about medical aesthetic procedures so you are able to make informed decisions about treatments and practitioners.
You are able to search for a BCAM member in your area, or for a specific treatment, using our search facility here.