The Government's ban on face treatments is 'misogynistic' and 'bad science', says leading doctor
In a government briefing yesterday held by the culture secretary Oliver Dowden, it was announced that part of the beauty sector can reopen. This includes manicures, pedicures, massages and waxing, however any treatments ‘on the face’ are still off bounds.
The government has repeatedly stressed the importance of the ‘clinical’ evidence around the high-risk zones around the face, citing this as the reason why treatments such as facials, eyebrow threading and eyelash treatments are still unable to resume.
However a leading aesthetics doctor based in London, Dr Tijion Esho, has called the government out for its inaccuracies with its reasoning, calling their response to the beauty sector ‘haphazard and reactive’. “The science argument for keeping some salons treatments off the menu just doesn’t make sense. The ‘high risk zone’ is to do with aerosol generating procedures - such as the sort of procedures involved in dentistry, that directly cause droplets to be formed in the air. However, for facials, brow threading and other face treatments, no aerosol is generated.”
The beauty industry hit back at the government last night for further separating the beauty sector with no scientific evidence. Our Telegraph campaign Why Can’t I Work has allowed for many discussions with professionals airing their dismay at the government’s ‘random’ decisions. One such decision is that men are still allowed to have their beards trimmed, yet no eyebrow treatments are on the menu - despite the treatments taking a similar length of time and in the same proximity.
It’s a decision that Dr Esho calls ‘deeply misogynistic’. “The government has conducted a blanket response and it is causing lots of people to lose income. There’s a deep lack of understanding of the beauty sector. Most treatments are one-to-one, with high levels of sterilisation and never completely face-to-face. A facial, for instance, takes place from behind a person lying down, at an arm’s length.”
The government’s clinical evidence is still yet to be published, although many industry groups are pushing for it. Dr Esho explains, “We know in the inside area there’s a greater risk, however the R value is affected by the number of people in spaces. It makes a difference that beauty is mostly one-to-one.”
He adds that the fact that the beauty professionals will wear masks and visors for each treatment, and that many of these procedures are very short, there is far less of a risk of going to a salon compared to a pub.
“All of my doctor colleagues I’ve been speaking to also can’t understand why the sector is still partly-closed. If the government is following the science, they should at least first establish what these beauty treatments entail. They’ll see they’ve made a huge mistake with the beauty industry.”
The beauty treatments allowed to resume from 13 July - and that ones that aren't
Most popular treatments for men
Allowed:
Beard trimming with scissors or clippers
Mustache trimming with scissors or clippers
Trimming/tidying sideburns
Not allowed:
No popular male treatments are off menu, except ‘intricate’ shaping of beards
Most popular treatments for women
Allowed:
Nothing allowed
Not allowed:
Eyebrow threading, waxing or tweezing
Eyelash treatments Make-up application Facials
Aesthetic treatments including dermarolling, dermaplaning
Semi-permanent brows often used for alopecia sufferers or those going through cancer treatment
Read more: What beauty treatments are allowed? Guidelines for waxing, facials and eyebrow appointments
