Teenagers should be banned from getting cosmetic procedures amid fears image-conscious schoolgirls are being left permanently damaged, experts say.
The Royal Society of Public Health said it should be illegal for under-18s to have lip fillers and other treatments, warning that existing regulation in the cosmetic industry is 'not fit for purpose'.
Growing numbers of insecure young women are being targeted on social media and encouraged to have their lips injected with fillers to achieve the 'Love Island look'.
But the treatments – often carried out in back rooms of hair salons and in customers' living rooms – can lead to extreme swelling, infections and allergic reactions.
Experts say young women are under growing pressure to look like celebrities from Love Island (pictured left, contestant Anna Vakili) but may be at risk of ending up with disfiguring complications like Billie Roocroft, 23, from Manchester, who was left with massively swollen lips after a procedure which left her with 'stinging, sore pain' in her face and neck
A major report by the RSPH warned a lack of regulation means anyone can set up shop offering cosmetic procedures such as Botox, fillers, tattoos and piercings.
They said this is putting members of the public at risk of developing serious infections including sepsis or suffering permanent damage from botched procedures.
The report said: 'At the extreme end of the scale, botched procedures can result in infection, ulcers, tissue necrosis and even blindness.
'There is currently no legal age requirement for receiving fillers in the UK, leaving it possible for vulnerable young people to access an invasive treatment with few controls.
'There are already rules about not targeting gambling or alcohol adverts at under-18s, and it would be an important next step to extend this to cosmetic procedures.'
The RSPH added that all practitioners should be required to have infection control qualification before carrying out treatments that compromise the skin barrier, and that specialist tattoo and piercing equipment should only be sold to licenced individuals.
Lip fillers are usually made of hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occurring substance found in the skin and other bodily tissues.
Hyaluronic acid injections are generally safe but can cause redness, swelling, bruising, itching and tenderness at and around the site of the injection.
Side effects may affect people differently and should be discussed with a specialist before the injections are done.
If someone gets cold sores it can trigger an outbreak, and the injections may not be suitable for people who are at risk of keloid scarring – when scars become large
