Who is Injecting You and What are They Really Injecting You With?

Botox CosmeticOver the last few years, we have seen a number of stories hit the press related to rogue injectors. Many of these people not only have little to no medical training but they have used substances which are not only ineffective but also, in many cases, have been show to be potentially harmful and even lethal.

So why would anyone let someone inject them before knowing their education, training, and expertise? And why would anyone let someone inject a product that they were not familiar with? While there is no single answer, a common thread is that many of these people were either lied to (with respect to the injector’s background and/or the product being used) or simply didn’t ask. Recently, a woman in Toronto was found guilty of injecting industrial silicone oil into her patients using syringes and a caulking gun. All but one victim suffered serious consequences as a result of these injections with four suffering near-fatal reactions. For her actions, she faces up to 8 years in prison (in addition to possible deportation). To read more about this story, please CLICK HERE.

Unfortunately, this type of story is becoming more common as the “greed factor” is motivating more people to perform facial and non-facial injections. A variation on this theme includes the “BOTOX Parties” which appear to be popping up more and more frequently. Many of these parties are staffed by injectors with very little to no experience and often involve the consumption of alcohol both before, during, and after injection treatments. So why are these parties so popular? The bottom line is that a majority of these inexperienced injectors are offering their services for little to nothing and so potential clients can get injected for much less than they would pay for in a medical office. But before you think about how great a deal this is, consider the following concerns:

  • Many of these injectors have little to no experience and may not be educated enough to avoid common pitfalls such as dropped brows and worse. This is how they are getting their experience: they are practicing on YOU!
  • Facial injections are a medical procedure and consumption of alcohol before any medical procedure is strictly forbidden by every single medical society. What you think of a doctor who poured you (and maybe himself) a glass of wine in the office just before your procedure? You would no doubt be shocked. But this is exactly what is happening at many BOTOX parties on a regular basis. And to experienced and credible injectors like myself, this is simply not acceptable.
  • Are the conditions aseptic and are proper steps being taken to assure that the product is being handled appropriately? One recent patient told me of a BOTOX party that she attended where the injector was literally performing injections in the bathroom with the patient sitting on the toilet seat? Are you kidding me with this? This breaks so many rules it isn’t even funny.
  • Finally, do you really know what you are being injected with? Many of these injectors inject in an assembly line fashion and shuttle people through as quickly as possible. They have to…since they are charging to little for their product and their time, they have to operate on volume. You may be getting injected with real product or you may not. Because there is literally no oversight, it’s anyone’s guess what is actually going under your skin and into your body.

With this in mind, are BOTOX Parties really worth the savings? I don’t think so. You are much better watching out for incentives from credible injectors and paying a little more. In the end, is the BOTOX Party injector going to fix your bad result? Probably not…they have already moved on to their next event.

I hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or insights. We look forward to hearing from you.

For the record, I am a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and have been a nationally recognized Injection Trainer for over a decade. My goal is to educate patients on what they should look for and what they should avoid. In the end, this is your body and what you put into it can have far-reaching consequences…both good and bad! Never forget that!

To contact us, feel free to either call us at 303.708.8235 or email us directly at info@beautybybuford.com