Scotland's rapidly growing cosmetic industry is part beauty – and part beast. A surge in innovation and availability of clinics means consumers have more treatments to choose from than ever before, and the opportunity to benefit from world-class expertise to enhance their looks and rejuvenate their skin. While the only option for previous generations was to go under the knife with expensive plastic surgery, advances in lasers, energy devices, and injectables such as Botox mean that roughly 90% of the procedures being carried out today are non-surgical, minimally invasive, and much more affordable.
On the flipside, an explosion in unregulated practitioners is being blamed for a surge in people suffering horrific injuries and disfigurements – sometimes with little prospect of compensation. The Herald launches its latest in-depth series investigating the state of Scotland's cosmetic sector, how we got here, and what's next. Day One From taboo to trends: Why Scotland's newest private hospital is for cosmetic surgery On the outskirts of Edinburgh city centre, tucked away among the capital's £1.
3 billion Granton Waterfront regeneration project and overlooking the Firth of Forth, is Scotland's newest private hospital. But this hospital is the only hospital in Scotland dedicated to cosmetic surgery. Health correspondent Helen McArdle investigates.
I tried Scotland's newest skin tightening procedure – so what's it like? For the series, health correspondent Helen McArdle arrived.