Find a Massage
Therapist
& more...

Advertisement

Related Programs

At First Blush: Dealing with Rosacea Caution at the Cosmetics Counter

Skin Health

Being Smart About Cosmetic Procedures

Summary & Participants

Increasingly, dermatologists are confronting a disturbing new trend, the practice of cosmetic procedures by untrained people. The results can be devastating.

Medically Reviewed On: July 21, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: No one enjoys getting older and seeing a changing face in the mirror. And while some age gracefully and embrace the wrinkles of time, more and more people are on a quest for younger looking skin.

ROY GERONEMUS, MD: A wide variety of procedures are considered cosmetic, such as an injection of Botox, the injection of filler substances, most laser procedures, chemical peeling, liposuction. These would all be cosmetic procedures.

ANNOUNCER: If performed correctly, many of these treatments offer successful results, with minimal complications. But dermatologists are now confronting a disturbing trend.

ROY GERONEMUS, MD: We are now seeing, in spas and salons, the practice of medicine by untrained people. We're seeing quite a few burns as well as changes in pigmentation. We're seeing some scarring as a result of some laser procedures that are performed for cosmetic purposes.

ANNOUNCER: Cosmetic treatments performed in a spa or salon are generally administered by aestheticians and other nonmedical professionals. And this setting might be acceptable for some skin treatments. But which ones?

ROY GERONEMUS, MD: I think, in a spa, if you're looking for beauty treatments or to improve the condition of your skin, one should do one can do procedures like facials, very light chemical peeling, massages, procedures that do not necessarily injure the skin or carry risk.

ANNOUNCER: The most problematic procedures are those that are more invasive: laser treatments, certain acne treatments, Botox injections and collagen and other filler injections.

So if people are considering one of these more potentially risky procedures, what can they do to protect themselves?

ROY GERONEMUS, MD: Procedures where there is any type of injury to the skin or the potential for injury really should be done by a physician in a medical setting.

In choosing a physician, there are a number of different ways that you can find the appropriate person for your condition. One is to go to a website, such as the website for the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. The second is to ask your physician, your primary care physician or another skin physician, a dermatologist, who the appropriate person would be to treat the condition that I have.

You'd like to make sure that physician has experience. You would like to make sure that physician is board-certified. These are the questions that you can ask the physician himself or the physician's office. If need be, you can check with the state regulatory bodies to make sure that, in fact, that physician is licensed and is in good standing.

Page 1 of 2 Next Page >>