Is a Visit to a Medi-Spa Safe?

You’ve seen the ads, and maybe even seen them popping up in shopping centers. The curious-sounding medi-spa is a way of combining medical beauty treatments with traditional spa treatments.

Medi-spas have medical procedures, which are, ostensibly, operated under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional, using medical treatments such as Botox, cosmetic tattooing, body sculpting, microdermabrasion, hair removal, and lasers.

Unfortunately, absent a licensed physician, sometimes these procedures can go terribly wrong. California has proposed legislation, which would increase the penalties for performing medical procedures at a medi-spa without proper medical supervision.

While such treatments as Botox injections and microdermabrasion are considered medical treatments, some medi-spas are not properly supervising such procedures.

Numbers of Medi-Spas Increasing Across the United States

During the eight years from 2002 and 2010, more than 1,500 medi-spas opened in the United States, although there is no official count of these spas in California because the medi-spas are not required to register with the state medical board.

California does, however, require that all medical businesses have at least 51 percent ownership by a physician, with the remainder of the ownership in the medical business going to a licensed health practitioner.

A physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner is required to examine the patient prior to any medical treatments, however there are few deterrents to prevent medi-spas from operating without these safeguards in place.

Increase in Fines and Jail Time for Medi-Spas Which Operate Illegally

In order to prevent medi-spas from operating without benefit of a medical professional on site, increased fines and more jail time has been approved by the California State Assembly for spas which violate the regulations.

The fines have gone from $200 to $1,200 to a maximum fine of $50,000, and the 60-180 day jail sentence for violations of medi-spa regulations have been increased to 2-5 years in a state prison.

Lisle Soukup of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery claims there is more than patient safety at hand, there is also consumer fraud. Soukup says that often, patients simply assume a person in a white coat must be appropriately trained and supervised.

Doctors Seeing Increase in Botched Cosmetic Procedures

Dermatologist and director of the East Bay Laser & Skin Care Center, Dr. Christine Lee says she has treated patients with minor to severe burns, permanent scars, permanent keloids, eye damage and nerve damage since 2000.

Lee says she has even treated women whose faces were covered with black stripes—burn marks from a laser hair removal procedure, and that she sees an average of five people with botched procedures on a monthly basis. Lee claims that the majority of her patients have stated the botched medical procedures were performed by nurses, or even people with little to no medical training.

Should Violators Face Felony Charges?

A 2011 undercover operation in Beverly Hills found that non-physicians were administering medical treatments as well as prescription medications. The owner of the business, Laser Solutions, was charged with eight felony counts of practicing medicine without a license.

An attorney who defended one of those charged in the undercover sting, believes criminal charges are “heavy-handed,” because many of those who are breaking the law are totally unaware they are doing so.

Botched Botox and filler injections have been known to cause disfigurement, severe allergic reactions and even blindness. Dr. Corey Maas says that five years ago he rarely ever saw botched filler or Botox cases, yet today he sees five to six patients a month, and, in some cases, they are extremely serious.

Maas says three people lost their sight in Los Angeles last year after being injected with a dermal filler by a non-physician. An artery was hit in all three cases, causing the filler to migrate to the blood vessels of the eye, causing blindness.

If you are considering going to a medi-spa for a treatment, or ordering Botox or filler over the Internet, you should think twice. First, ordering these controlled substances over the Internet is illegal, and second, no matter what a clinic calls itself, only licensed physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are legally allowed to perform certain cosmetic procedures.

In the end, if it seems too good (inexpensive) to be true, it probably is.

Contact Pasadena Plastic Surgery Specialists

There is a reason why so many Pasadena men and women continue to choose Dr. Kevin Ruhge to perform their plastic surgeries. His personalized approach to plastic surgery means that his clients can contact him 24/7 after a surgical procedure.

If you would like to learn more about skin rejuvenation, brow lifts, breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, or any plastic surgery procedure, we invite you to meet with Dr. Ruhge for a private consultation at our office in Pasadena by calling 626.397.9095, or by scheduling an appointment online.