High Tech Beauty Treatments

Volume 4 Issue 42

May 2005

Are high tech beauty treatments safe?
It depends on who performs the treatments claims the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDA).
If a treatment is performed by a qualified cosmetic surgeon, there are usually no problems.
If, though, a treatment is performed in a so-called skin treatment center or wellness center, a patient could be looking at severe heartbreak and injury.
"Consumers need to be aware that cosmetic skin treatments using lasers, high-tech light devices, chemical peels, soft tissue fillers, botulinum toxin, and microdermabrasion are surgical procedures that can be invasive, carry potential side effects and should be performed by a qualified physician or under direct physician supervision,” describes  ASDS President Harold J. Brody, M.D..

In a recent survey of the ASDS 2,400 members, approximatetly 45 percent of the respondents reported an increase in the number of patients treated over the past year for complications such as burns, splotching, irreversible pigmentation and scarring. The disturbing results were attributed primarily to estheticians and  cosmetic technicians who perform various medical procedures outside their scope of training or with inadequate or no physician supervision.

Specific examples are frightening.   A NYC woman, who went to a spa for chemical peels to keep her face acne-free, was used to mild flaking afterward. The treatment, using glycolic and salicylic acids, strips off a layer of skin. But a peel three months ago left the woman’s face so raw that it oozed blood for six days.

Another woman went to have hair from her underarms removed by laser. The procedure was extreme painful and, four days later, caused the woman to break out in blisters. A dermatologist had to treat the woman for second degree burns and, months later, she has cigar sized areas of discoloration on her arms.

Just two of the many horror stories reported by the ASDS. “The cases we have seen are just the tip of the iceberg,” points out Dr. Brody. “In many cases, complications go unreported because patients are in litigation or are reluctant to seek curative treatment. In some cases, patents may not even realize they have been misdiagnosed.

"The issue is further complicated by laws regulating the use of laser/light sources by non-physicians, which vary from state to state, are often vague and are rarely enforced. Currently, only 15 states require an MD to operate a laser. Seventeen ( 17 ) other states and the District of Columbia differ greatly on which categories of non-physicians (e.g., RN, LPN, PA, ARNP) are permitted to perform procedures and whether they require "supervision," "direct supervision," or "on-site supervision" by physicians. The remaining 18 states do not have positions on laser procedures.

"Apart from new regulations in Florida , there are virtually no laws that require physicians or non-physicians to report complications."  Ordeals that could have been avoided. How? By the patient knowing what procedure she needs and finding a qualified person to perform it on her.

According to the ASDS, under appropriate circumstances and in accord with state statutes physicians may delegate certain procedures to certified or licensed non-physician personnel, but the physicians must provide direct, on-site supervision and be available to respond immediately to any problems or queries.

Now, the price for these procedures at the spas performing them is about half what doctors charge but, as in the case of many things, you get what you pay for.

"A few years ago, we saw complications very infrequently," said Dr. David McDaniel, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology and plastic surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School .
"Now the equipment is more powerful, there's less supervision, less training, and more people are getting the services, which has led to a fairly dramatic rise in people being injured, sometimes permanently."

"Not a week goes by that I don't see a patient with either burns or pigmentary changes related to unscrupulous use of lasers and light sources,” adds Dr. Tina Alster, the director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery. So, having a qualified surgeon performing such procedures on you is the best choice here. Where can you find such surgeons?

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