With insights into LGBTQ+ clients, safety focuses for laser hair removal, upcoming campaigns for industry regulation, and more – find out what you’ve missed in June.

It might be the run-up to the six-week holidays and sunny vacations at home or away, but June 2025 has also been a busy month for aesthetics practitioners across the country.

Explore the recent changes and developments, and see how these improvements can lead to higher-quality, person-centred treatments to help you bring out the real you at Aesthetics of Essex.

A call for government-enforced protection from cowboy aestheticians

Widely covered by the media, there is a rising tide of untrained, unlicensed, and uninsured practitioners offering everything from fillers to Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs) – often from pop-up rooms on the high streets, public toilet cubicles, or their own homes.

In a shock report from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), the government was asked to consider:

How getting hold of dangerous and unregulated products, like fat dissolving injections and fillers, could be obtained for as little as £20.
Limiting access after deaths have occurred from high-risk BBL procedures, even after being widely publicised.
Consulting on a minimum age for treatments across the UK – as currently teens can simply cross borders to access procedures.
Collate NHS data to show the staggering instances of infection and life-threatening complications that already over-stretched services are having to deal with.
Compile regulations that more clearly outline who is responsible for the products and procedures.

To achieve these changes, CTSI are asking for immediate government action, which includes:

A licensing scheme to help regulate the sector
The establishment of a minister-led government Task Force to help regulate this sector
Extension of underage legislation to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Removal of unsafe products sold online

How to keep yourself safe when comparing aesthetics providers

For clients looking to avoid the risk of unsafe aesthetic treatments, you should always use a provider that has:

A clean, permanent premises
Certificates detailing relevant qualifications – that they are happy to show you
Recent reviews and testimonials from real past clients, including images
A price list that is competitive but not too good to be true

Managing laser and IPL hair removal risks

Stealing the top spot as the most popular aesthetic treatment in the UK, laser hair removal and IPL hair removal look set to contribute to a market value of over $93.2 million (£69.77 million) by 2030.

And it’s easy to see why: widely available, affordable, and giving last results – male, female, and transgender clients alike are seeking it out.

However, making up over 19% (nearly a fifth) of a reported 1,096 aesthetic malpractice claims processed by Hamilton Fraser alone from January 2020 to November 2024, it can be increasingly dangerous if done incorrectly.

With side effects including:

Burns
Blisters
Changes to skin pigmentation
Scarring

As such, the aesthetics provider must conduct adequate risk assessments and implement actions to minimise client risk. This can be done by:

Ensuring all patch tests are completed – when treating a new area and after machine servicing
Documenting all consultations, especially when asking clients about recent sun exposure or retinoid use
Properly using skin assessments and Fitzpatrick skin typing beforehand
Keeping records of patch test results, laser settings, and any aftercare advice given to clients
Regularly servicing or maintaining equipment, including staying up to date with hardware updates
Double-checking that suitable wavelengths are used for all patients, new or returning
Using custom treatment plans for skin types with contraindications, or suggesting alternative treatment pathways

Following good practice guidelines like these means that the experienced professionals at Aesthetics of Essex can keep our clients safe while also ensuring they are thrilled with the results.

Increased training opportunities for aesthetic professionals

Whether they enter the profession through local colleges and training providers or as part of nationwide partnerships, like the one between Hamilton Fraser and Inspired Cosmetic Training, quality training is a must to ensure high levels of:

Legal compliance
Client care
Treatment results

At Aesthetics of Essex, each of our three clinics is run by a team of reputable, qualified and experienced doctors, nurses, and aesthetic professionals.

Plus, each member of staff is happy to share their credentials and qualifications with clients when they visit for a free consultation – all they have to do is ask!

Paying attention to the health of clients – particularly those going through menopause

All people experience changes to their health throughout their lives, and most would consider informing their GP of these changes part and parcel of an appointment.

Far fewer might think to share their general health and any issues with their aesthetic practitioner!

However, having a full insight into the health and any possible complications or contraindications is essential for those assisting with aesthetic treatments – and the vast majority of this information is garnered during free, pre-treatment consultations.

But why does your friendly, local practitioner need to know?

As the body changes through peri-menopause and later menopause, clients can experience a sometimes dramatic shift in health and wellness. This can include everything from dry skin and hot flushes up to hair and collagen loss.

For this reason, our practitioners need to know about your general health and any medication you are taking, so they can recommend treatments that are right for you and ensure you get the results you are expecting.

In some cases, it is also important to know about your lifestyle to make sure that you don’t experience harmful side effects. For example, if you have had recent sun exposure, laser hair removal can lead to burns or pigmentation changes in the skin.

How openness can benefit both the aesthetician and the client

For aesthetic practitioners, while it happens at every appointment, there are many benefits to taking an active interest in the health and well-being of their clients, including:

Discussing symptoms with them and finding non-medical solutions
Boosting their self-esteem and empowering them
Helping them understand that they are not the only ones experiencing these symptoms or side effects

Likewise, while all clients are encouraged to discuss their health openly with our practitioners, they can gain useful into their health during the menopause and beyond. While also being safe in the knowledge that all information is kept confidential – and is only used to ensure the best possible results!

How to ensure acceptance runs beyond Pride month

Another way to improve the aesthetic service and experience you offer as a provider is to ensure you are inclusive every month of the year – not just during Pride month in June.

Shockingly, many clients still face exclusion, professionals who don’t respect their preferred pronoun usage, and treatments that leave them feeling uncomfortable and disrespected. Examples of discriminatory practice in the industry include:

Male and female price lists, especially for treatments like hair removal or injectables, etc.
Making token gestures for June that only last for the calendar month
Misgendering, assuming pronoun use, and not discussing preferences

As such, to make all clients comfortable, providers should adopt an ethos that is forward-thinking and makes inclusivity a focus at all times.

This can be achieved by:

Personalising all treatments

Instead of offering separate price lists for males and females, charge for the amount of product or time used to complete the treatment and eliminate unnecessary and potentially upsetting instances of misgendering.

Discussing pronouns openly and asking people what they prefer to be called during consultations

This is, of course, beneficial for LGBTQ+ clients, as well as those who prefer a nickname over their given name, so it benefits everyone.

Plus, by asking from the outset, nobody can assume based on appearances and upset clients.

Ensuring all staff know the difference between sex, gender, and sexuality

In many cases, prejudice comes from a lack of understanding, so all of your providers must be aware of and understand the difference between sex, gender, and sexuality.

This grounding will help them to understand others, support clients with empathy and respect, and make their aesthetic practice a safe space for anyone.

Asking what their treatment goals are rather than assuming

As we briefly touched on with pronouns, LGBTQ+ clients could have slightly different needs or goals during aesthetics treatments.

To avoid assuming, it’s far simpler just to ask everyone at their free consultation what they are hoping to achieve and work towards that goal together.

Consider more inclusive or diverse imagery and colours

Aesthetics has been an industry that targets women over a certain age for decades, but that isn’t the case in recent years.

As more men and LGBTQ+ clients explore aesthetic treatments as a way to make them feel confident, we should aim to create more inclusive marketing and environments for all who might visit.

This also includes using imagery of older clients, men, and gender ambiguous individuals so everyone feels welcome.

Expanding your training to offer treatment specifically for the transgender community

While definitely the most time-consuming change, the current aesthetic treatments you already offer can be used to treat people at any stage of the transition process. So, why not seek out further training for your practitioners on how to achieve this?

Hormone changes that come as part of hormone therapy, for example, can really alter the skin, leading to issues that may not have existed prior and need specific aesthetic intervention to solve.

Plus, thanks to the nature of non-surgical aesthetics, these treatments can help someone realise their gender identity in a way that can likely be reversed – something that can make change easier for those who need it.

Industry-leading aesthetics at Aesthetics of Essex

With a focus on providing the very best experience and treatments for our clients, all three of our clinics are staffed by professionals at the top of their game who will do all they can to help clients get the results they are looking for.

To book an appointment or ask us anything, email info@aestheticsofessex.co.ukm or call 01708 225 555 and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.