No matter how much research prospective patients do regarding their upcoming aesthetic procedure, there can still be hidden dangers. Unlicensed and untrained providers may appear professional. However, looks can be deceiving. If you fail to do your homework on the provider’s background, you risk more than poor results, there is a serious chance for life-long scarring and even death.
Unlicensed Spa Workers in Houston
Only last week, a Houston-area cosmetologist was caught practicing medicine without an appropriate medical license. According to ABC13 News, at least two patients reported becoming ill after receiving buttock injections at DC Medical Spa. When speaking to reporters, one of the patients explained, “I felt so sick that day. I had the chills, fever. The next day I went to emergency room.” There, doctors said that she had an infection caused by the questionable substance injected into her body.
These incidents raised a red flag with the Harris County District Attorney, who has since filed charges against the provider. “It’s a very dangerous thing to do, operating medicine without a license. We don’t know what she was injecting into their buttock,” said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Nathan Moss.
Unfortunately, plastic surgeons are seeing more cases of unlicensed spa-staff, providing cheap, unregulated, and often illegal services. Baylor College of Medicine physician, Shayan Izaddoost, MD, explains, “We see cases where people have had either silicone or hydrogel, and it can be multiple different materials and they come into the emergency room with infection, drainage from different areas of the body.” Dr. Izaddoost continues, “There are (also) cases where patients have had complication where the injections were too close to the nerves.”
Do Your Homework Before Scheduling a Cosmetic Procedure
The best way to protect yourself is to do research on both the intended procedure and the prospective provider. Only choose a plastic surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Society of Plastic Surgery. Double check that the surgeon has extensive experience in your desired technique, lots of positive reviews online, and plenty of before/after photographs.
It is easy, and profitable, for unlicensed providers to get ahold of black market and foreign-made injectables. Never opt to have an aesthetic procedure, filler injections, or Botox at someone’s house or in a ‘pop-up’ office. Finally, if the price is too-good-to-be-true, then it probably is.
Houston’s Most Trusted MedSpa: Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique
Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique is Houston’s top medspa, founded by leading plastic surgeon, Paul Vitenas MD FACS. With close to 30 years of experience, Dr. Vitenas is board certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgery. All of his staff are fully licensed, with extensive experience in each procedure.
Offering the best noninvasive results possible, Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique is in the top 1% of providers for Allergan, the maker of trusted injectables like Botox Cosmetic and the Juvederm family of soft tissue fillers. To get more information on Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique’s noninvasive techniques, such as dermal fillers or Botox Cosmetic, call our office at 281.810.9083.