Know Your Injector........

Fillers and BTA (botox/dysport) are still perhaps the bread and butter of medical aesthetics despite the emergence of new technologies and machines. It is a simple technique requiring injection of products into the skin layers/muscle to create a more appealing youthful look almost instantly. It is a very lucrative business too. Because of this, a lot of people try to learn to inject. Even if they have no medical background. Hence you will see that in certain places, beauticians or aestheticians as they call themselves injecting fillers and products into customers and so-called 'cheaper' price than doctors. (Really?)

What most people do not realize is that hypodermic needles and syringes are only licensed to be used by doctors in this country (and also most other countries as well). Even nurses or MAs are not licensed to use needles unless under the supervision of a doctor or in Emergency cases. I remembered this so well because during my practice in the government sectors, the nurses at that particular hospital refused to do any blood taking and kept quoting this rule in the nurse/MA handbook. Funnily, when you move to the private sector the nurses are all so willing to do injections, especially fillers and BTA.

The thing a lot of people do not get about doing injections to your face, although you can get really good results with minimal downtime, you can also have very bad results that would last you quite a bit and for some cases of those using semi permanent or permanent fillers it can be life long and would require surgery. A lot of people know this, but why do they still risk going to beauticians or other unqualified injectors to do their face? The most common reason is peer pressure, second would be cost and third would be some bad experience with an untrained doctor somewhere that made them lose confidence with professionals. Between fillers and BTA, fillers are worst because usually the beauticians use illegal products that lasts too long and has no reversal.

So for those who wish to indulge in injection rejuvenation, I will give you a few tips:

1. Know your injector - Are they a qualified injector i.e. a real doctor? (A lot of fake ones parading in my country). Are they really trained to do the injections? Not all doctors are trained to do aesthetic injections so they maybe a licensed doctor but may not have the skill. Going for 1 workshop does not quite cut it as being trained. Are you comfortable with the doctor? Has he/she answered all your queries and doubts? Will he/she be following you up? Will he/she be responsible for the work done if any problem arises? 

2. Know your product. What is it that the person is injecting into your face. Is it hyaluronic acid filler? Is it Radiesse or Aquamid? Is it collagen - if it is collagen - purely collagen/bovine/marine or porcine? A lot of the collagen fillers from beauticians are mixed with liquid silicons hence why it just does not disappear. Is the product safe? Just because the person says so, doesn't mean its safe. Ask for safety profile. Are you sure its the product claimed by the injector or did they take out another product from a different box for the injection. Google information about the brand.

3. Are the products sterile? The last thing you want is getting an infection under the skin from using products already contaminated. In my clinic, I open a new syringe in front of the patient to show its sterile. Infections due to contaminated fillers are a nightmare and may take weeks to heal. It would require high end antibiotics, dilution of filler or even excision. In some cases, we would be giving steroids to stop inflammation from the infection. It can cause you to have a mark or a scar from a so-called suppose to be very safe procedure.

4. Is the premise you are receiving an injection a proper medical facility with license? Beauty salons are not licensed to do injections, nor are hotel rooms, cars nor boutiques nor spas. So if it is not a clinic, better think twice because likely the hygiene of the place is not up to par and you cannot sue the person if anything went wrong since it is not in the right premise. You'll just be bombarded by the defense lawyer, stating that you agreed to be injected in the premise when you know its illegal.

5. Check the current market price for services before deciding on having it done to give you a rough idea of what is the normal range. Usually for promotions, the price of the service would not be discounted more than 30% in view the cost to acquire original products is expensive. If the clinic or center is giving too cheap a promotion, you should bear in mind a few things. Its either the product is expiring (already expired) or they've reduced the amount of filler/bta given but charged at a cheaper price. The end result would be unsatisfactory results or treatment not lasting what it should. And this would not only cause disappointment but also reduce confidence towards the treatment altogether.

Courtesy of http://www.plasticcelebritysurgery.com/2011/09/worst-celebrity-plastic-surgery-before.html

For more info you can email us at info@faceworks-clinic.com / faceworksclinic@gmail.com. For appointments, please call us at 03-21440080 or text 014-2233268.