One of the largest UK health & beauty retailers is now offering customers minor cosmetic beauty treatments in-store.

Superdrug, who are the UK’s second largest health & beauty high street retailer, are the only high street chain to offer cosmetic treatments. There are a range of treatments available – from eyebrow threading to manicures, anti-wrinkle injections to lip volumisers, leg thread vein removal to chemical peels.

The anti-wrinkle injections will cost £145 for one area of the face – around a third of the more normal price range. The initial consultation will be around 15 minutes long with treatment taking as little as 10 minutes. This means that patients will be able to have these anti-wrinkle injections during their lunchbreaks.

Some cynics believe that this is not a good move for the high street store. Superdrug had a trial beauty clinic in Brighton in 2007 however it closed after just six months. However Superdrug are convinced that they have learnt from the experience and the new service will be a hit.

Some health care professionals have also commented that people would be better off going to a specialised clinic. Talking to British newspaper the Daily Mail, London cosmetic surgeon Dr Michael Prager compared it to ‘going to the barber’s to have your hair cut, instead of a Nicky Clarke hair salon’.

He explained, “They both use scissors but you end up with completely different results.

“You get what you pay for with cosmetic surgery.

“Having Botox is not like having a flu jab it very much depends on the skill of the practitioner carrying out the procedure.’

“There is not a large profit to be made from anti-wrinkle injections. I would imagine Superdrug wants a decent profit margin so, for just £145 per injection, I would question how much you are getting for your money.”

The first Superdrug ‘clinic’ opens in Kensington, London, later this week with a second one planned for Milton Keynes in the near future.