Love Island star Faye Winter has backed Government plans to regulate the booming cosmetic procedure industry after revealing she was left unable to move her face when a property developer posing as a medic botched her Botox.
The reality star spoke to GB News as the Government launches a consultation to clamp down on unsafe aesthetic treatments amid fears the UK has become a “Wild West” of unregulated injectables.
West said she was left traumatised when a man claiming to have a medical background injected her with Botox, only to later find out he had no medical training whatsoever.
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“He told me he was from a medical background and at the time, we didn’t have the platforms we have now to check,” she said.
“He administered too much Botox into the wrong muscle, and my whole forehead just relaxed. I had no eyebrow arch. I couldn’t move my face. It was a really scary time.”
Under the Government’s proposed crackdown, only medically qualified professionals could legally carry out risky procedures such as Botox or dermal fillers.
The consultation will examine which treatments should fall under stricter licensing laws and how enforcement will work in practice.
Faye said the move is “a massive step in the right direction” and believes only those with proper training should be allowed anywhere near people’s faces with needles.
“My stance is that only people with medical training should be able to put a needle near anyone’s face,” she said.
“We need to make sure these procedures are regulated properly. People shouldn’t have to go through what I went through.”
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The consultation will also explore banning under-18s from accessing aesthetic treatments entirely something Faye said she was shocked hadn’t already been made law.
“I was really surprised. I thought it was already 18+,” she said. “Seventeen is far too young. Some people will just take the money and not even look at ID.”
Winter, who rose to fame on ITV’s Love Island, said she had always been open about her cosmetic work and hoped to raise awareness.
She also condemned people who fly to countries like Turkey for cheap procedures, warning of serious risks and urging the NHS not to foot the bill for botched reversals.
“I don’t believe taxpayers should pay to reverse work gone wrong abroad,” she said.
“It might be cheaper to get it done in Turkey, but it comes at a much higher risk. You could end up paying with your health.”
The Government’s consultation will run for eight weeks and is expected to inform future legislation on the licensing of aesthetic practitioners.
Campaigners have long called for tighter controls, arguing the industry has grown rapidly with little oversight.