Dr Oz: Dangerous Cheap Beauty Treatments
What’s the real cost of beauty on a budget? Consumer reporter Elisabeth Leamy investigated what happens when real women desire a more youthful appearance, but don’t have the budget to pay for traditional treatments. Just one visit to a licensed dermatologist can cost $1,200. One option many women turn to is a Botox party where a woman and her friends can get injections for cheap. There’s even places like Medi-Spas offering cheap injections by unlicensed staff members and YouTube videos that claim to show you how to inject yourself.
It seems that the problem has only gotten worse over the years as the business continues to grow, with more women wanting Botox and fillers than ever before. Depending on state law, sometimes nurses, physician assistants or even aestheticians can perform the injections, but it’s supposed to be conducted under the supervision of a doctor. The problem is that “supervision” isn’t a clear-cut term.
With women desperate to look better than ever, many turn to cheap cosmetic procedures. But at what cost? Dr Oz learned the truth about the dangerous market. (nathanf / Flickr)
Dr Oz: Dangerous, Illegal Beauty Injections
Dr John Martin treats and corrects the damage done by illegal Botox in his practice. Dr Martin explained that women will go to unlicensed providers in hotels, apartments, or someone’s home. They may look good for a period of time, but just weeks or even years later, they can develop infection, chronic inflammation, and nodules. If that’s the case, women end up spending a lot more money trying to fix the problem, so they don’t actually save money at all.
Dr Martin has become familiar with women who are injected with non-medical grade silicone, loaded with impurities, in their face, breasts, or buttocks, sometimes as much as a liter at a time. What can result is sepsis or death of the skin, or even death as the result of the silicone getting into the blood stream.
Dr Oz: Botched Cosmetic Procedure
One woman shared her experience with a fake newspaper ad that changed her life forever. Tracy is a former beauty queen who was injected with an unknown dermal filler and was left scarred. Tracy will now never look the same, with under-eye markings that she has to live with as a daily reminder of the mistake she made. When she was injected she immediately began bruising, but in a way that made it seem like the bruising was internal.
Because all the damaged tissue had to be removed, Dr Martin explained that in Tracy’s case, the procedure was very disfiguring both before and after.
Dr Oz: Protect Yourself Before Botox Injections
There are three things you should check before undergoing a cosmetic procedure. First, verify credentials by checking with your state to be sure the doctor or medical provider is licensed. Second, you should schedule an initial consultation. During that consultation you should be able to ask questions and get more information before you even consider undergoing the procedure. Finally, compare prices. Know that cosmetic injections are expensive, so if you’re getting the best deal in town, you’ll likely get what you pay for.
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