THE recent death of a 29 year old woman in Skudai, Johor after undergoing a breast augmentation procedure, highlights the need for stricter enforcement of rules in the beauty industry since unqualified practitioners are offering medical aesthetic procedures.
According to reports, the victim had initially wanted to undergo treatment to firm up her facial skin, but was convinced by the home-based unqualified beautician to have the breast procedure too.
Her case echoes that of the 23 year old model who died in 2020 after a botched liposuction at a beauty salon in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Aesthetic physician and medical director of MAC Clinic, Dr Hew Yin Keat says consumers are easily taken in by claims on social media which paint a rosy picture and promise over-the-top results for what are essentially medical procedures.
All these procedures have risks, he explains, although some people might assume they're just beauty-related and safe.
One is lucky if nothing untoward happens, but side effects can range from mild (bruising, pain, swelling, peeling skin, redness or discomfort) to even death in severe cases.
For example, some consumers may go for a pigmentation procedure but end up with worse skin than before because the right setting for the laser was not used, while wrongly administered skin fillers can cause unsightly lumps and bumps to appear on the face, sometimes years later, so patients don't even link the problem to their initial treatment.
"Fillers can even cause permanent blindness and fillers entering blood vessels can result in a stroke. All these things may seem simple at first glance, but can lead to complications which impair or handicap a person."
CHEAP BUT RISKY
Most consumers are influenced into making such decisions due to the cheaper cost and the quick results promised.
Dr Hew says there's a reason why certain procedures can only be performed by medical professionals, but in the beauty industry, these lines often get blurred, highlighting the need for better enforcement and clampdowns.
For safety reasons, medical aesthetic procedures should only be performed by qualified and licensed practitioners at licensed premises, he stresses.
"Some unscrupulous beauticians have even started administering IV drips. What's next? Are they going to start doing heart surgery?," questions Dr Hew.
Beauticians are only allowed to perform non-invasive pampering or grooming related treatments he stresses and these include facials, massages or applications of masks and serums.
They cannot do procedures that penetrate or pierce the skin, such as treatments involving injections, or those that involve cutting or surgery.
Yet, some are venturing into more and more invasive territory, even advertising services such as liposuction or double eyelid surgery on social media, says Dr Hew.
They do these procedures through home visits, at hotels or at unlicensed beauty centres.
The medical products used in such treatments may be counterfeit or obtained via the black market, putting consumers' in harm's way and ultimately, risking their lives and looks.