Love Getting Facials? These M’sian Doctors Explain Why Medical Treatments At Unlicensed Centres Can Be Dangerous

“Beauty is pain” but how far are you willing to go just to achieve your desired looks?

The evolution of social media and the birth of face filters that help to “enhance” or “beautify” a person’s looks have taken the world by storm. This has led to an increase in the popularity of aesthetic medical procedures, which have been on the rise since 2019.

These treatments can also be incredibly helpful for those with skin problems. It can provide a newfound sense of self-confidence and allow them to enjoy being in their own skin. Plus, these treatments are perfectly safe for you, granted you get them done by professionals!

Unfortunately, your favourite treatment centre may not be licensed to offer certain procedures

In Malaysia, there are unlicensed treatment centres that would offer aesthetic medical procedures carried out by unqualified or untrained individuals. Just because the treatment centre you frequent offers facials and massages, it does not mean that they are also qualified to offer more invasive treatments like injectables!

In fact, you can even find these injectable products being sold online! This is why it is very important for Malaysians to visit a healthcare facility with trained medical practitioners because we can never know if what we see online can be trusted.

For this, we’ve reached out to Dr. Nurul Ain from Alainn Clinic, to find out more about this issue.

When asked about some of the botched side effects she has seen, Dr. Nurul recounted that some patients experienced “lumpiness or migration of the filler to other areas which occur when a dermal filler is injected in the wrong plane or area.” She also added, “other common complications include infections post-procedure possibly due to non-sterile conditions of the equipment or location where the treatment was done.” While most of these side effects are reversible, they would require time, unnecessary costs and cause immense distress to patients.

An example of a patient suffering from the development of skin necrosis due to injection of the filler into a facial artery.

Dr. Nurul went on to explain that unlicensed treatments are dangerous because of factors such as:

• Products that come from unauthorised sources
• Non-healthcare professionals may not be well-versed in the facial anatomy nor are they well-equipped to handle any complications should they arise
• Unsafe and unhygienic environments that are not suitable for such treatments

She added that both the techniques and the products used for these treatments are equally important because if the products are injected wrongly, they could cause permanent scarring, skin necrosis, blindness or even death.

One such example of how things can go horribly wrong can be seen in the case of a 22-year-old Malaysian who recently suffered severe effects from a fat-burning product that she bought from an Instagram seller. Due to the MCO, she opted to do the procedure at home with the help of a friend which led to infections on various parts of her body and a RM5,000 treatment bill. As mentioned by the victim, “the pain was excruciating but I feel lucky to be alive.”

Let this painful lesson be a reminder to us all! 

So, what should Malaysians know before getting these treatments done?

For this, we approached Dr. Jessie Lim from Kaiteki Clinic, to explain why it’s so important for us to get this treatment done by a trained and qualified professional. Firstly, she explained that medical practitioners are backed by years of experience and knowledge and are better equipped to handle medical devices including injectables. Plus, they also have an eye for aesthetics!

On the other hand, non-medical practitioners have no legal access to pharmacological products or medical tools. This means that these unlicensed centres are most probably utilising counterfeit products or have acquired them illegally. Paired with their lack of training, these treatments can impose severe health risks.

Due to this, if you’re keen to get injectables or other skin treatments done, Dr. Jessie listed a few tips to take note of:

1. Search for reputable, board-certified medical doctors/practitioners through this online list and pay attention to their credentials.
2. These procedures can only be done at licensed, registered clinics with proper hygiene and equipment which you may find via this online list.
3. You can request to inspect the product before the treatment to confirm that it is authentic and safe. For instance, if the doctor is using Profhilo, it can be easily verified by scanning the QR code on the box to check its authenticity.

Why is this important? Certain products like Profhilo must be kept at between 2°C and 25°C at all times, requiring cold chain transport from its manufacturing facility in Italy, all the way to clinics in Malaysia – something parallel importers may not provide.

But why do Malaysians still opt for these cheaper alternatives?

When it comes to these cheaper alternatives, we asked Dr. Jessie about why Malaysians are still drawn to them even though they might be dangerous.

She answered that many people actually “do not know it is illegal for unlicensed centres to offer aesthetic medical procedures, including injectable treatments or implants.”

Dr. Jessie wishes to remind Malaysians that “good things don’t come cheap.” While we understand that professional skin treatments are admittedly more costly, it is for good reason. They are required to undergo multiple rounds of testing and certification to ensure that they are safe to be used.

She also mentioned that we should not be fooled by unrealistic testimonials posted online. It’s more important to get a detailed consultation with your treatment provider to determine your suitability and needs. Ultimately, the question you should be asking yourself is, “would I go to a hairdresser for a vaccine injection?”

So, the next time you’re about to get any treatment done, do take note!

What Malaysians can take away from this issue

If you’re interested in getting aesthetic treatments done, we’d like to remind you that it is always better to invest in yourself by visiting a professional instead of opting for cheaper alternatives. It’s never worth putting your health or skin at risk!

Additionally, if you’re not sure which treatment would be good for you, we’d recommend looking into Profhilo – also known as an “injectable skincare”!

Profhilo is a registered and safe brand of injectable treatment that can only be done by medical professionals in a clinic setting.

Being one of the hottest injectable treatments this year, what sets Profhilo apart from other brands is that it can naturally stimulate the elastin and collagen in our skin to intervene in the process of skin ageing. Plus, Profhilo also offers other benefits such as:

• Firming, tightening and lifting effects for the skin
• Improving overall skin quality and hydration
• Providing skin tissue renewal which is ideal for acne scarring

Another plus point for Profhilo is that it requires only five injection points on each side of the face as compared to other injectables. Sounds pretty impressive, right? ?

 

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And as we’ve mentioned before, Profhilo injectables come with a Neoasia QR sticker on their packaging that you can scan to check its authenticity. This way, you can receive your treatment confidently knowing that you are in the safest hands possible. ?

Checking the authenticity of the treatment products has never been this easy!

Interested? If you are, you can head to this website to find out more about Profhilo. And remember! If you’d like to get any treatments done, you can always search for registered clinics here and a list of professional medical doctors here.