About To Have A Treatment Or Start GLP1s? Read BCAM’s Award-Winning Campaign First

We get it, it can feel really awkward asking a potential practitioner about their qualifications or what products they’re using before a treatment. And, perhaps you don’t really know what to ask either – even if you sense some questions could help keep you safer. Luckily, help is at hand!

The British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) has been reading our nervous minds and is making things a whole lot easier. Courtesy of the ‘Vet It Before You Get It’ campaign, you can now get information on what to look out for, including when attempting to access GLP1s, before downloading a questionnaire that addresses six of the most important questions to ask your practitioner before you even set foot in their clinic.

Still not convinced it is something you need to view? The campaign just won the Best Initiative at the Aesthetics Awards 2026, highlighting the importance that those in the industry (and in the know) are placing on it!

Here’s what you need to know…

Why this matters 

Aesthetic treatments can be transformative – both for your looks and for your confidence – and the popularity of filler, toxin, and energy-based devices is certainly showing no signs of slowing down.

But the truth is, there are legal loopholes in the UK that mean seeing the wrong person for the wrong type of treatment could lead you into really unsafe hands. Here’s why:

1. Not all tweakments are the same… 

Firstly, while we often group all tweakments together for ease, different tweakments have different levels of risk, and therefore, practitioners should have specific qualifications to provide them. 

The Government has actually unveiled a new Traffic Light System that can help you know what’s what:

Green – Non-invasive treatments (facials, LED light therapy, light peels)
Low risk, surface-level, and fine in the hands of beauty professionals when suitably trained.

Amber – Minimally invasive treatments (Botox, fillers, microneedling, skin boosters, IV drips)
These involve needles or deeper layers of skin – and should only be performed by medical professionals.

Red – Invasive treatments (ablative lasers, deep chemical peels, surgical-style fat-dissolving injections)
These carry higher risks and should only ever be done by doctors in a CQC-registered medical setting.

2. But legislation is lacking… 

That sounds clear enough! But, unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.

For example, despite injectables like fillers falling into that ‘minimally invasive’ category, the truth is that not everyone offering injectables in the UK is medically qualified. In fact, unlike in many other countries, it’s still legal for someone without medical training to inject fillers in the UK, even after just a weekend course.

3. There are loopholes for prescription products too

Botox and other toxin brands are prescription-only medicines, which means they have to be prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse prescriber, or pharmacist prescriber. Yet, if you think that means that non-medics can’t use them – and therefore anyone offering wrinkle-smoothing injections must be suitably qualified – you’d be wrong! In fact, once prescribed, toxin can still legally be injected by a non-medic in the UK. It’s a huge grey area, and most people have no idea it exists.

4. Beware a boom in fake products

Finally, there’s also been a really worrying rise in unlicensed injectable products circulating in the UK. These can often be offered at much lower prices, but trust us, it’s not a good deal, and a red flag if you aren’t told exactly what brand your practitioner is using. Only licensed products that meet UK or EU safety standards should ever be used.

Introducing the BCAM Pre-Consultation Safety Questionnaire 

As you can see, there are still quite a lot of grey areas and confusion in the aesthetic industry, so you aren’t alone if you feel a bit overwhelmed. The biggest piece of advice: don’t rush into having a treatment with a certain practitioner, without feeling like you’ve got all the information you need.

That’s exactly why BCAM, the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, has launched Vet It Before You Get It, a campaign to encourage you to pause, ask questions, and ultimately help you make safer, more informed tweakment choices.

Best of all, at the heart of the campaign is a totally free, downloadable checklist that takes all the guesswork (and awkwardness) out of asking questions about safety and training.

The pre-consultation Safety Questionnaire is even designed to be sent to any clinic before your first appointment. That means you can avoid any concerns about asking such questions in person, scope out multiple clinics to find the perfect one for you, and also potentially save money on consultation fees, so the thought of ‘losing money’ from walking away from a clinic has less sway.  

Included are six simple but important questions you need to ask – spanning professional credentials to what happens in an emergency – so you can feel confident you’re in qualified hands every step of your aesthetic journey.

We love it because it’s quick, it’s easy, and it takes the awkwardness out of asking. And, if a clinic can’t, or won’t, answer any of these basic safety questions clearly, that’s your sign to walk away.

The best practitioners are proud of their training and safety record, so they will be more than happy to fill it in!

And GLP1 advice is now also included!

There’s more exciting news, too! In response to growing safety concerns in the weight-loss sector, BCAM has now expanded the ‘Vet It’ campaign to include a dedicated GLP-1 safety section, providing clear guidance on how to check the credentials of prescribers, pharmacies, medicines, and online services offering weight-loss injections.

That’s really important because while recent research suggests that around 1.6 million adults in the UK have used GLP-1 weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro in the past year, that’s also been accompanied by a worrying influx of fake products in the UK. Unlike licensed medicines, fake GLP-1 products offer no guarantees on dose, purity, or safety, a gap that can result in serious illness and, in extreme cases, life-threatening consequences.

“Whether it’s a dermal filler or a GLP-1 injection, the risk is the same if sourcing, prescribing, and governance aren’t robust,” says Sadie Van Sanden Cooke, Chief Operating Officer of BCAM. “Vet It Before You Get It was created to protect patients from unsafe cosmetic treatments, but the same principles now apply urgently to weight-loss medications. If you cannot verify the prescriber, the pharmacy and the product’s regulatory status, you should not proceed. The risks of getting this wrong are simply too high.”

Here’s how BCAM wants you to keep yourself safe:

1. Always have a consultation 

“Licensed GLP-1 medicines should only be prescribed following an appropriate medical screening and consultation, and supplied through a regulated pharmacy, with clear patient information, proper cold-chain handling and access to follow-up care,” says Van Sanden Cooke.

“If a product is being offered without a genuine consultation, without a prescription, or through channels that avoid direct clinical contact, those are immediate red flags,” she continues. “Patients should feel empowered to pause, ask questions and walk away.”

2. Be honest when seeking help 

BCAM is also urging people not to put themselves in harm’s way by trying to ‘play the system’ to get access to GLP1s when they don’t really need them. Concern was triggered after an ITV investigation, which revealed that some reporters were able to obtain GLP1 prescriptions by submitting edited photographs designed to exaggerate body size.

Before you think this is a good idea, it is not. It can be seriously dangerous, and is being cracked down on, according to the government, not least because it is against General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) guidelines.

“GLP-1 therapies, injectable or oral, are powerful medical tools,” says Dr Nester Demosthenous, aesthetic practitioner and trustee of BCAM. “They must be prescribed responsibly, with proper medical oversight and alongside nutritional and muscle-protective strategies. These are not cosmetic shortcuts. Safety, suitability and long-term metabolic health must always come first.”

3. Don’t prioritise ‘a good deal’

If the price for your GLP1 medication feels significantly below market rate, that’s not actually the sign of a bargain – it’s a red flag that something isn’t right.

Dr Sophie Shotter, President of the BCAM, adds: “For many people, GLP-1 medication can be a genuinely transformative tool, but it should always be started with proper medical support. Rising prices must never push patients into cutting corners with their health. A trusted prescriber and a reputable, regulated pharmacy are essential, and patients should expect to pay standard market rates for licensed medicines. If something appears significantly cheaper, that alone should prompt careful questioning.”

Want to make sure you can keep yourself safe? Download the right questionnaire for you now and #VetItBeforeYouGetIt.

Pre Consultation Safety Questionnaire

Pre Consultation Toxin/Anti Wrinkle Questionnaire

Filler Pre Consultation Questionnaire

Pre Consultation GLP-1 Safety Questionnaire

Interested in other helpful tips and tricks for getting the most out of your tweakment experiences? Head to The Guide to view our full selection of articles.