The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a lip filler advertisement by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Skin clinic. The ad, published in Kent-based Index Magazine, showed three young women reading a magazine and was captioned: “We understand, it's concerning, but Dermal fillers are very quickly becoming as commonplace as getting your hair done these days and even more so within the younger age group. Is your daughter beginning to take an interest in lip fillers? Recently, we have seen an increase in young girls visiting our clinic for procedures such as Dermal Filler.” The ad then described the influx of young women coming to the clinic with their mothers and encouraged parents to help their daughters “find somewhere safe and suitable with experienced and accredited practitioners than simply telling them ‘no.’”

The advertisement was deemed “irresponsible” by the watchdog who said it gave the impression that “the risks of lip fillers were associated only with procedures carried out by unsuitable practitioners; that it was normal for teenagers to correct perceived 'imperfections' with lip fillers and that, due to their growing popularity, the only choice for parents was between supporting their daughters in seeking treatment from a clinic like RTWSkin or leaving them to undertake the procedure themselves somewhere else.” An ASA spokesperson added that “while the ad warned against going to unsuitable practitioners, it made no reference to the risks that would always be attached to lip filler treatment, wherever one went for it".

The decision of the ASA was supported by Mental Health Minister, Jackie Doyle-Price, who said “children should not be having these procedures done, let alone be targeted. If I have to take additional powers to protect children then I will.”

In response to the ban, the clinic defended their ad, saying it had been written by a 20-year-old staff member, who noticed a growing trend of young people having procedures done by untrained practitioners, and that the image was representative of the demographic they intended to engage with. As a result of the ban, the Kent-based magazine has removed the ad from their print and online editions.