Leave it to the Professionals

A day at the spa. Facial, massage, manicure, and perhaps a few cosmetic injections to smooth
out a few lines and wrinkles. Wait a minute! A person who has given you a facial performing a
medical procedure? No way.

Yes, cosmetic fillers, breast augmentations and buttocks augmentations are medical
procedures. You may be thinking, “well, obviously” but there have been cases in the news where untrained and unlicensed people have performed these procedures. In Texas, a salon operator was arrested for injecting an unknown substance into a woman’s breasts. These illegal procedures have lead to staph infections that required amputation of the hands and feet of one woman, and the death of others. Are you willing to risk your life for a cheap cosmetic surgery performed by an unlicensed person?

Marketing professional talk about the 4 Ps of selling: Price, Product, Placement, and Promotion.I’d like to talk about the 4 Ps of safe cosmetic procedures: Product, Practitioner, Place, and Price.

Product: Without a doubt, you must make sure that the product you are getting injected with is an FDA-approved product for a particular area on your face or body. The FDA has approved specific products, such as Botox®, Juvederm®, Restylane®, Radiesse®, and Sculptra®. If you are uncertain of the product, or the person who is performing the injection refuses or is unable to tell you what material you are being injected with—stop! And just so you know, the FDA has not approved ANY synthetic material for injection in the breast or buttock.

Practitioner: Of course, your safest practitioner is a doctor who is board-certified in plastic surgery. But there are other individuals qualified to perform specific cosmetic procedures. Often, a physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse has had cosmetic injection training. It is highly unlikely that a spa operator, or someone listing services on Craig’s List is certified or has had training.

Place: In a nutshell, doctor’s office—yes. A salon, mall, or private home—no! Cosmetic injections are medical procedures that should be performed under sanitary conditions in a medical office or medical facility. Even at popular Botox parties held in homes, sanitary practices must be followed, and the person performing the injections must be licenses. (See#2.)

Price: Remember the adage: If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t. If a Groupon offer from any business other than a plastic surgery practice is a great deal, or spa owner advertises low prices, beware. Are you really willing to risk your appearance or your life in order to save a few bucks?

If you are considering a procedure, remember to consider the four P’s before you make your decision.