Angela Onwuzoo
Beauty professionals under the aegis of the Association of Practitioners of Spa and Medical Aesthetics of Nigeria have urged the Federal Government to establish a board that will regulate the practice of aesthetic medicine in the country.
The practitioners noted that regulating the profession would bring about standards and professionalism in the industry and also check the activities of quacks who were inimical to clients’ health and the growth of the industry.
Speaking at the Aesthetics Industry Award, Dinner, and Graduation Party in Lagos recently, APSMAN President, Dr. Felix Avajah, said regulation was critical in reshaping the aesthetics industry and guaranteeing clients’ safety, especially now that the demand for aesthetic medicine was on the rise.
Avajah explained that when laws and regulations guide the industry, this would not only sanitize the system but also promote client safety and support the growth of medical aesthetics professionals.
Stressing the need to tackle quackery in the industry, the aesthetician disclosed that many quacks parading themselves as professionals had destroyed the skins and lives of many clients.
The APSMAN founder pointed out that to practice in the spa and aesthetic medicine industry requires some form of formal education and academic qualifications, describing the profession as a sensitive one.
He said, “When there is a full standard board, it will regulate the industry. We need a Board of Regulation for Aesthetic Medicine Practitioners of Nigeria to regulate the profession. We now have academic programmes.”
He said the association got its certification in 2016 to promote excellence in the aesthetics industry.
Avajah said, “We stand for standardisation, professionalism, good ethics, and education. We believe so much in regulation and education.
“We understand that our association cannot regulate. That is why we partnered with government-accredited institutions to start an academic qualification that can help with regulation because when there is certification, there is regulation.
“Without certification, you would not be able to regulate an industry. So, we have started well by having standard academic programmes and procedures that can help remove quacks and, at the same time, encourage people. Instead of practicing quackery and destroying lives, people can still go back to school.”
According to him, the minimum years of study in aesthetic medicine is two years.
Emphasising the importance of education and certification in the industry, the beauty expert added, “This is why we have government-accredited institutions partnering with APSMAN. We are professionals in the industry, and we know the business. We understand what safety is and we have the competence.”
Commenting on the high demand for aesthetic medicine, Avajah said, “Everybody wants to look beautiful because beauty talks. When you look beautiful, you are happy and you live long. Also, aesthetic medicine comes with beauty and wellness.”
He advised the 126 medical aesthetics graduates from the Federal College of Education, Akoka, and Lagos State College of Health Technology, Yaba, to know their limits and ensure clients’ safety.
In his remarks, the Provost of Lagos State College of Health Technology, Yaba, Prof. Raheem Akewushola gave insight into why the demand for aesthetic medicine was rising.
Akewusholasaid, “The demand for the service is on the increase. It is driven by increasing demand for non-invasive, effective, and safe treatments. To that extent, our institution has signed an MOU with APSMAN to ensure quality aesthetic medicine service delivery in Nigeria. We have this partnership to ensure that we train practitioners to minimise cases of accidental treatments in aesthetic medicine.
“All students graduating here today have gone through skill acquisition and tutelage. Quality assurance must be attained and that is the only way to go.”
On his part, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos, Dr Akinmayowa Akin-Otiko, called for collaboration among the practitioners.
He noted that aesthetic medicine was crucial to wellness, stressing that wellness was beyond looking good on the outside but also looking good on the inside.
“Looking good and staying healthy are fundamental aspects of wellness. Wellness is not only about appearance but also about inner health, which manifests externally”, he added.
The researcher disclosed that integrating traditional medicine into aesthetic medicine brings about healing, urging APSMAN to collaborate with traditional medicine practitioners.
The event also presented a golden opportunity for the association to recognise and appreciate some medical aestheticians and spa owners in Nigeria for their far-reaching work in the beauty industry, as well as their commitment to high standards in the rapidly growing beauty industry.
This allowed professionals in the industry to unwind, network, and celebrate one another.
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