AMY BIRD
BIRD'S THE WORD
We need evolution and evidence in the era of regeneration
As I look back on 2025, I can’t help but feel a mix of pride and anticipation. This has been a year defined by reflection, recalibration, and a long-overdue recognition that aesthetics is, and always has been, a medical discipline first. We’ve had powerful conversations about safety, ethics, and evidence, but also some difficult ones about influence, ego, and accountability. Those conversations matter because they shape the kind of sector we’re becoming.
We’re evolving, not just in the science or the technology, but in mindset. The profession is maturing, shifting away from a culture of competition toward one of collaboration and responsibility. The aesthetic landscape is transforming before our eyes, and what we do next will determine whether that transformation is sustainable, ethical, and truly regenerative…
As we step into 2026, the challenge is clear: to match our innovation with integrity, and our progress with purpose.
2025 has been a year of conversations that matter. At the forefront are discussions on patient safety, professional standards, and the long-awaited shift towards proper regulation. After more than a decade of talk, the landscape is finally taking shape, and what happens in the next 24 months will define the future of aesthetics in the UK.
We’re standing at a crossroads. Progress is happening, but it’s slow. The language we use in marketing, the way we behave as a sector, and how we keep patients safe still need work. Patient safety must remain the anchor of everything we do, yet it’s often the first thing to be diluted when social media and commercial interests take the lead.
I’ve said it all year: accountability and regulation aren’t optional extras, they’re the backbone of our practice. Yes, there are signs of change, but it’s a trickle when what we need is a waterfall. This is a time for collaboration, not competition.
Posting an Instagram reel is easy; collecting data, sitting down with peers, having uncomfortable discussions, and driving real change is the hard work. We must work harder, together, to create the change we all want to see.
GETTING REGENERATIVE RIGHT
This year has seen a surge in new technologies. Regenerative treatments and longevity medicine are gaining huge popularity, which is exciting, but I’d argue we’re not entering the regenerative space; we’ve been in it for years. The shift we’re seeing now is from augmentation to rejuvenation, and I’m completely here for it.
Evidence-based practice should be our compass. Innovation is brilliant, but it must always serve the patient first. There’s a risk in chasing the “new and shiny.” That’s why I always come back to my mantra: sector first, industry follows. If a new modality or technology comes to market backed by credible science and a strong safety profile, fantastic, let’s embrace it. But if it’s all marketing and no evidence, it doesn’t belong in a medical space. To assess credibility, I strip away the buzzwords and look at the science. Is it safe? Is it evidence-based? Is it ethical? If the answer isn’t yes to all three, it’s not for me.
Many treatments we’ve used for years already have regenerative mechanisms, we just didn’t have the marketing language for them. The newer modalities simply build on principles we’ve understood for decades.
Incorporating regenerative and longevity-based approaches should fit naturally within a responsible, ethical aesthetic model. That means creating individualised plans based on cellular health, tissue behaviour, and patient need, not on trends or social media influence. Thinking at a cellular level makes you a better clinician: you question more, plan more comprehensively, and achieve safer, more meaningful outcomes.
Are the lines between aesthetics, wellness, and medicine blurring? Absolutely, and that’s a good thing, as long as you know your boundaries. Understanding when to refer, when to collaborate, and when something sits outside your competence is the mark of a professional. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
REJUVENATION, NOT AUGMENTATION
I’ve always believed in the philosophy of undetectable rejuvenation – replacing what ageing has naturally taken away, not adding something artificial in its place.
It’s about harmony, not volume. Thankfully, patients are starting to understand that.
The era of the “overfilled” face is fading, and patients have finally seen the light. As a surgeon I once worked with told me: “The best work is the work you can’t tell has been done.” Now patients are beginning to see that too.
When we talk about anatomy, tissue quality, and long-term outcomes, it all comes back to one thing: respect – for the face, for the ageing process, and for each patient’s individuality. We should be encouraging acceptance as much as enhancement. Subtle, thoughtful tweaks that restore confidence without erasing identity are the future of this profession.
If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that education isn’t a one-time box to tick. Aesthetics is an evolving scientific specialty. The research doesn’t stop and neither should we. Stop learning, and you’ll be left behind. And when that happens, your patients will look elsewhere.
Innovation and regulation can and must coexist. Science will always move fast, and we are, at our core, a scientific specialty. But that doesn’t mean we abandon the frameworks that keep patients safe. The clearer those boundaries become for the public, the stronger our professional credibility will be.
THE FUTURE: EVIDENCE OVER INFLUENCE
I’m encouraged by a growing appetite for evidence over influence. Practitioners are recognising that credibility lasts longer than clicks and likes. I hope I’ve played a small part in that shift, reminding my peers that holding the title of nurse, doctor, or dentist carries weight, and we have to live up to it.
What excites me most is the continued progression in research, data, innovation, and education. The science is there, and the appetite for learning is too, but what’s still missing is unity. What still worries me most are behaviours driven by ego and personal gain. We’ve made progress, but professionalism and collaboration still need serious attention.
Internationally, the UK both leads and lags. We’re world-class in some areas and behind in others. What we need now is more UK-specific research, our own data, and our own frameworks. We can’t keep borrowing from other countries and expect their systems to fit perfectly here.
Looking to next year, I want to see a continued push for regulation. It’s now or never. Early 2026 will bring another round of government consultation – our last real shot at shaping something meaningful. Education must be taken seriously at all levels, and cross-specialty collaboration must become the norm if we truly want to ignite change.
To my peers, nurses, doctors, dentists, and all recognised healthcare professionals – my message is simple: patient safety, education, integrity, and evidence aren’t barriers to success; they’re your advantage. Putting the sector first won’t damage your business, it will strengthen it. Industry and medicine can coexist beautifully if both respect their roles in a sector-first approach.
On a personal note, I have two clinical research projects in progress for 2026. One building on my neurotoxin work from 2024, and another I can’t quite talk about yet (but watch this space). 2026 will be pivotal. The next 12 months will define not just how we practice, but how we’re perceived as a professional medical specialty.
The message I want to leave you with is simple: patient safety, education, and ethics aren’t barriers to growth, they’re the foundation. Aesthetics is a sector built on trust, and if we lead with evidence and collaboration, the industry will follow.
We’ve come a long way, but the real work starts now.
AMY BIRD
Amy Bird RGN NMP is an award winning nurse prescriber, speaker, trainer and KOLwith more than a decade of full time experience in medical aesthetics. She is lead nurse at her practice, KAST Medical Aesthetics in Cheshire and recently became chair at BAMAN. She is a passionate advocate for best practice, standards and patient safety.