It is not uncommon for physicians to encounter patients, who suffer the ill effects of having injection treatments for “enhancement” purposes, using substances that may have been represented to the patient as medical grade or drug regulatory approved “silicone”, “collagen” or “botox”. These patients receive injections for “breast augmentation”, “nose-lift”, “buttocks-lift”, or “anti-wrinkle” treatments and unwittingly, expose themselves to clinical complications.
The lure of advertisements and the fact that the injection treatments are presented as “cheaper” alternatives, in combination with a person’s poor body image or a desire to physically enhance one’s self, are enough to attract clients for these procedures and potentially create undesirable results.
As an example, a good number of patients who’ve had breast injections using “bargain” injectables will present with one of two problems, or a combination of both. Infection is one presenting problem. There have been instances when these injected substances cause infections in the breast, requiring surgical drainage and debridement. The consequence of such a problem is oftentimes seen in the unfortunate patient’s eyes — a sadness which is an indelible reflection of how their self-esteem has been diminished by both physical and emotional scarring, when an attempt at enhancement turns into disfigurement.
The other problem encountered in these same patients — is breast lumpiness, or the sensation of having multiple breast masses (occurring at the multiple puncture injection sites). These masses are usually felt by the patient herself and are clinically evident to the physician as well, upon a physical examination of the breast. The haunting question that this problem creates in the minds of these patients is, “Is this mass a cancer?”
It is possible that in the presence of a lumpy breast due to these injections, a cancer growth can arise from the breast glandular tissue making it indistinguishable from the other lumps by physical examination alone. In this situation, unless a biopsy is done on each and every lump, the tool that will be useful to screen for cancer, is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — an expensive diagnostic procedure. Thus, a patient who at the start was looking for a “bargain”, is later on saddled with an expensive proposition to do annual MRI screening for cancer surveillance. Otherwise, the specter of undetected cancer threateningly hangs over their heads.
Problems similar to those just cited occur not only in Manila but also in the United States. A recent press release by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) states that, “…four seriously ill people were hospitalized following injections of an unidentified substance at a Fort Lauderdale clinic and could be the latest victims of what has become an increasingly common problem — illegal and unsafe drugs administered as cosmetic treatments by practitioners without appropriate training and credentials.”
Former American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) President Dr. Peter Fodor, when asked to comment on the Fort Lauderdale case, said, “The popularity of injectable treatments including BOTOX and a host of soft tissue fillers, has encouraged their promotion by inadequately trained or non-medical practitioners, some of whom may obtain illegal substances and perform procedures under non-sterile conditions.” He says furthermore, “Unfortunately, patients sometimes are lured by promises of less expensive treatments, or they simply fail to check the qualifications of the person administering the treatments, unnecessarily risking their health and safety.”
Patients these days have to be informed patients. They should do their homework when planning to undergo certain procedures. If they eventually decide to have a procedure done, they should be sure that they’re done in appropriate facilities by a properly qualified physician who has received specific training in the particular procedure.
To do otherwise, would be putting your health, and maybe even your life, in jeopardy.
Soft tissue fillers