A government-backed register for providers of injectable cosmetic treatments such as botox and dermal fillers has been launched.
Those who meet the standards set down for the Independent Heathcare Advisory Services' voluntary register, will receive a quality assurance mark.
The IHAS hopes people will be steered away from "botox parties" or treatments offered in inappropriate locations.
But cosmetic surgeons say such self regulation will not stop bad practice.
Botox boom
The introduction of the register comes amid a boom in demand for botox and dermal fillers.
According to the IHAS, there are currently about 5,000 providers of injectables in the UK, carrying out about 200,000 treatments each year.
Other estimates suggest far higher numbers of people in the UK are seeking out these treatments.
But there are growing concerns over people receiving treatments in inappropriate settings.
"We've heard stories of botox parties and people going to even garden sheds [to have treatment], " IHAS director Sally Taber said.
"It's just amazing that the general public think that they can have an injection into their face in a nail bar, a garden shed or at a botox party, because you are dealing with a prescription medicine.
"They can cause permanent damage. The patient will be reminded all their lives that they've gone to an inappropriate practitioner who wasn't appropriately qualified," she warns.
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