Increasing numbers of botched cosmetic procedures in the United Kingdom have led licensed practitioners to call for stronger laws and sanctions against untrained injectors.
According to The Guardian, doctors and health safety activists are calling for reform to limit who can perform cosmetic procedures.
The motivation behind the demand for change comes from the high number of complaints regarding dermal filler injections across the U.K., many coming from patients who have experienced uncomfortable or unsightly side effects, such as pain, swelling, lumps and infection thanks to botched procedures.
Some individuals also developed necrosis, or tissue death, that could mean tissue loss, permanent scarring or disfigurement.
In the U.K., there are no regulations on who can perform filler injections. The country also allows users to purchase products off the internet from any source, which may mean fake product is being used.
According to Save Face, the number of complaints in Britain related to dermal filler and endotoxin injections increased from 378 in 2016 to 931 in 2017. Save Face is a government organization that provides individuals in Britain information and access to licensed and credentialed cosmetic providers for both nonsurgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures.
Save Face maintains an approved register of physicians as well as information about treatments and a record of complaints and complications.
The U.K. has seen a surge in demand for dermal fillers and other cosmetic injections in recent years. Researchers attribute this demand to an increasing number of celebrities who openly discuss their cosmetic procedures.
More people seeking cosmetic procedures also means more people preying on individuals hoping to profit.
These individuals lure patients in using deeply discounted rates.
“If the price of your dermal fillers or Botox sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and you should keep searching,” said Dr. Christy Walker, a dual-board-certified cosmetic surgeon and OB-GYN who practices in Plano, Texas.
“Many people love bargains, but you do not want to save money by using an unskilled or unlicensed person to inject fillers or Botox into your face,” Walker said.
Data from Save Face show that 83 percent of nonsurgical and minimally invasive procedures performed in the U.K. were done by individuals who lacked the medical training and experience needed to perform the treatment.
Numbers from the organization also show that nearly three-quarters of the complaints recorded in 2017 were from patients who found their unlicensed provider through a social media platform.
This situation is not exclusive to the U.K.; it happens in the United States, too. The results of a 2017 study from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, showed that board-certified cosmetic surgeons accounted for only a small percentage of the 1.8 billion plastic surgery-related posts shared on Instagram.
The rest of the posts were from general practitioners, dentists, med spas and even hair stylists. Using these kinds of providers can be dangerous, Walker said.
“Providers who lack the knowledge and training of how to administer injections also lack the know-how to treat complications,” she said.
Doctors in the U.K. asked for reform regarding cosmetic procedures once before in 2013. Bruce Keogh, the medical director of the health care provider NHS England at the time, asked the country’s lawmakers to establish regulations and restrictions on who could perform cosmetic procedures after a series of incidents of breast implants manufactured with unauthorized silicone ruptured at higher rates than implants made with sanctioned materials.
At the same time, Keogh demanded legislation requiring providers to be qualified and licensed to deliver dermal filler injections and that these providers keep detailed records of how fillers were used.
Walker suggests that individuals seeking out cosmetic procedures search for board-certified providers with a lot of experience using resources such as credentialing sites and the state medical board.
“Doing your research before you are in the hands of an unqualified provider will minimize risks to your health,” Walker said.
Source:
The Guardian. Botched cosmetic surgery: law change urged as complaints treble. 18 February 2018.
