Unregulated dermal filler procedures are posing a serious threat to health, according to the Irish College of Aesthetic Medicine (ICAM), which has urged the Government to tighten regulations.
Dermal fillers – injectable gels usually made from hyaluronic acid – are used to smooth wrinkles and add volume to a person’s skin or lips. They can be legally administered in Ireland without a professional qualification.
However, Dr Caitríona Kieran, ICAM’s vice-president, said the fillers were regulated as medical devices and should be used by an appropriately trained individual.
“But there is no definition currently in Irish legislation as to who that appropriately trained individual is,” she said.
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There was “nothing to stop” a person buying filler online, advertising their services on social media and starting to inject people, she explained.
Kieran has had to carry out corrective procedures on people, including teenagers, who had filler injected by untrained people. Often, this “just looks unsightly” but it can also cause serious medical issues.
Some people develop a vascular occlusion – when a blood vessel is blocked, restricting oxygen flow to the area – which can cause permanent scarring or serious health complications.
Kieran said one woman came to her clinic to have filler dissolved above her eyebrows. During the consultation, the woman said her eye “felt funny” and that she saw dark spots for a while after being injected.
“It is an exceptionally high-risk area to inject and she was very fortunate it did not lead to blindness,” Kieran said.
“We probably don’t have a year before something very serious could happen, like the case of Alice Webb in the UK.”
Webb (33) died in 2024 in Gloucester shortly after dermal fillers were injected.
The longer it takes to enact legislative changes,Kieran said, the “more likely” it is someone in Ireland will die in similar circumstances.
“Do we have to wait for someone to die or be permanently disfigured before we see this legislation coming through?”
Kieran, an experienced dentist, said that when legislation regulating teeth whitening was introduced in Ireland in 2012, “it significantly reduced the amount of people doing it on black market”.
The programme for government includes a commitment to examine the administration of dermal fillers and ensure they are only administered by trained healthcare professionals.
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As part of this process, the Health Research Board has been tasked with carrying out a review into their administration.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the review was expected “in the first half” of this year.
“Once received, the department will review the report and consider the most appropriate option with respect to administration of dermal fillers, including an examination of the potential regulatory and legislative options available and any other relevant implications arising,” a statement said.
“The completion of this review process will inform a timeline for related actions.”
Labour TD Marie Sherlock said the Government’s response on the topic “has been weak”.
“We have heard the stories of people being left with serious disfigurement from these procedures.”
She called on the Government to “properly regulate dermal fillers” and “restrict who can administer them”.
“That means licensing practitioners with an obligation to display licences, banning injections by unqualified operators and enforcing clear penalties where people are put at risk.”
