Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adverse reaction
- An unexpected or harmful response to a treatment, medicine or product.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction needing immediate emergency treatment.
- Biofilm
- A layer of bacteria that can form around a filler or implant and cause a stubborn, hard-to-treat infection.
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- A mental health condition in which a person is preoccupied with perceived flaws in their appearance that others may not notice.
- Botulinum toxin
- A prescription-only medicine injected to relax muscles and soften lines, commonly used in aesthetic treatments.
- Capacity (mental capacity)
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Contraindication
- A condition or factor that makes a particular treatment unsafe or unsuitable for that patient.
- Cooling-off period
- A set time between agreeing to treatment and having it, so the patient can reflect without pressure.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sits alongside the UK General Data Protection Regulation and governs how personal information is handled.
- Dermal filler
- A gel-like substance injected under the skin to smooth lines or add volume.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Erythema
- Redness of the skin caused by treatment, irritation or inflammation.
- Extrusion
- When a thread or implant works its way out through the skin.
- Gillick competence
- A test of whether a person under 18 understands a decision well enough to consent to treatment themselves.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that registered care providers must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
- A device that uses focused sound-wave energy to heat deeper layers of skin for tightening or lifting.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main UK law controlling how medicines are prescribed, supplied and administered.
- Hyaluronidase
- An injectable enzyme used to dissolve dermal filler, including in emergencies such as a blocked blood vessel.
- Hyperpigmentation
- Patches of skin that become darker than the surrounding area, sometimes after treatment.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Intense pulsed light (IPL)
- A device that uses broad-spectrum light to treat the skin, for example for pigmentation or hair removal.
- Material risk
- A risk that a reasonable patient in that person's position would want to know about before deciding on treatment.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law that protects and supports people who may be unable to make particular decisions for themselves.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice
- Official guidance explaining how to apply the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in day-to-day practice.
- Microneedling
- A treatment that uses fine needles to make tiny punctures in the skin to encourage repair and renewal.
- Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] UKSC 11
- A Supreme Court ruling that established the legal duty to disclose any risk a reasonable patient would consider significant.
- Necrosis
- The death of skin or tissue, which can follow a blocked blood vessel after filler injection.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Notifiable safety incident
- A patient safety event a provider is legally required to be open about and, where applicable, report to the regulator.
- Prescriber assessment
- A check by a qualified prescriber to decide whether a prescription-only medicine is suitable for a patient.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- Ptosis
- Drooping of the brow or eyelid, which can occur as a side effect of botulinum toxin treatment.
- Radiofrequency (RF)
- A device that uses radio-wave energy to heat the skin for tightening or rejuvenation.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the regulator uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led).
- Teach-back
- A method of checking understanding by asking the patient to explain back, in their own words, what they have been told.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Vascular occlusion
- A blockage of a blood vessel, a serious complication of filler injection that needs immediate treatment.