The decision was the result of inspections carried out by ERS, in collaboration with the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE), of establishments in the municipalities of Cascais and Lisbon, which were the subject of complaints about "the provision of healthcare services in the beauty industry by unqualified professionals," the authority stated in a statement.

Once the violations were confirmed, "the ERS issued a precautionary measure to immediately suspend the establishment's activities, based on the unqualified provision of healthcare services in the beauty industry, as well as the serious failure to comply with the legal requirements applicable to the reprocessing of multiple-use medical devices and the management of hospital waste."

According to the regulatory body, only physicians should perform certain procedures on-site or use certain devices, such as "minor surgical procedures such as bichectomy, blepharoplasty, and chin and neck liposuction" and the "application of botulinum toxin, injectable hyaluronic acid, biostimulants, anaesthetic medications, and tension threads/PDO."

The inspection also revealed "serious noncompliance" with requirements and regulations regarding the "reprocessing of multiple-use medical devices and the management of hospital waste," the ERS noted, considering that "the principle of protecting human health and the environment" was not ensured.

The ERS stated that the precautionary measure "will only be declared extinct when the elimination of the risk to the health and safety of users is proven," and that the case was reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Tax and Customs Authority.