Salons and other unqualified distributors of cosmetic procedures are eliciting serious safety concerns in the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.  Non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as filler injections, laser therapies, and chemical peels are becoming increasingly popular in American Society.  However, these once strictly medical procedures are now being offered in beauty salons, spas, shopping malls and even at home, as a quick and easy fix to reducing signs of aging and enhancing beauty. 

The primary problem with the expansion of cosmetic services outside of a physician’s office lies in the lack of qualified medical supervision. Cosmetic procedures performed in spas, salons or other non-medical settings typically have insufficient or no oversight by trained medical professionals and may or may not have sanitary and FDA approved conditions and products. 

Dr. Mark Jewell, president of the Aesthetic Society emphasizes that there has been a serious misconception of the medical nature of cosmetic procedures.  “Non-surgical does not mean non-medical”, stresses Dr. Jewell, “Patients deserve to know who is treating them, what their qualifications are, who the supervising physician is, and where the product is coming from.” 

The ASAPS and the ASPS acknowledge that there are cases where cosmetic surgery is provided in non-medical settings under the supervision of a physician, however the societies are still concerned with the safety and quality of these services.  “Our concern here is that physician supervision in non-surgical cosmetic procedures may be inadequate or non-existent and that the individuals performing the treatments lack adequate training”, Bruce Cunningham, president of the ASPS said in a statement issued by the society. 

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons will continue to collaborate with health professionals to raise awareness regarding the risks associated with non-medical cosmetic procedures.

The ASPS and the ASAPS are considered to be the largest and leading authorities nationwide in the field of cosmetic and plastic surgery.  

If you have questions or concerns regarding non-surgical cosmetic procedures, contact an experienced and qualified cosmetic surgeon today.