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Thousands could suffer permanent damage from anti-wrinkle jabs, a cosmetic surgeon has warned.
As many as one in 20 of those who have "filler" injections may end up with irreversible damage to facial tissue, said the French surgeon Dr Daniel Marchac.
His alert follows warnings from British experts who have criticised ministers for not regulating the industry. They say the Government is doing nothing to stamp out "cowboys" offering Botox and other jabs.
Botox acts by relaxing the muscles, but it is still classed as a "facial filler".
Dr Marchac said he had been consulted by 25 patients with irreversible damage to their subcutaneous tissue - the layer of fat underneath their skin - and their fibrous connective tissue.
They were victims of "abuse" of jabs by practitioners who inject too much filler, he added.
Dr Marchac has asked 900 surgeons for more evidence. He believes this will reveal that up to one in 20 may suffer permanent damage.
There are two types of injection: One is intended to be permanent. The other is to be absorbed into the skin, and repeated after six months.
"All of the permanent fillers are creating, from time to time, serious problems with bumps and deformities, and sometimes you have to operate," he said.
"All serious plastic surgeons agree one should avoid permanent fillers. We will see in the future patients of 50 who have had 15 years of fillers, with fibrous, tough tissue we won't be able to do anything with.
"The serious things are the permanent fillers, and the second is abuse of resolvable fillers."
Dr Sherrell Aston, chairman of plastic surgery at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, said: "Botox is OK, but I have concerns about the other fillers.
"I am really concerned that in 15 years we will see a lot of people with lumps and bumps and no good way to treat it."
Two months ago, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons warned that women were at risk from cowboy cosmetic practices.
President Douglas McGeorge said the beauty industry was full of "aestheticians" with little or no training handing out treatments that can go wrong.
"The public needs to be realistic about the outcomes it can expect from new cosmetic treatments, at least until solid clinical evidence of their efficacy exists."
He said Britain was storing up future health problems if it did not act to bring in statutory regulation.
"To foster a 'wild west' approach [of industry self-regulation] is not only an affront to reputable professionals who follow the rules, but ultimately creates an unsafe environment for the public."
source
As many as one in 20 of those who have "filler" injections may end up with irreversible damage to facial tissue, said the French surgeon Dr Daniel Marchac.
His alert follows warnings from British experts who have criticised ministers for not regulating the industry. They say the Government is doing nothing to stamp out "cowboys" offering Botox and other jabs.
Botox acts by relaxing the muscles, but it is still classed as a "facial filler".
Dr Marchac said he had been consulted by 25 patients with irreversible damage to their subcutaneous tissue - the layer of fat underneath their skin - and their fibrous connective tissue.
They were victims of "abuse" of jabs by practitioners who inject too much filler, he added.
Dr Marchac has asked 900 surgeons for more evidence. He believes this will reveal that up to one in 20 may suffer permanent damage.
There are two types of injection: One is intended to be permanent. The other is to be absorbed into the skin, and repeated after six months.
"All of the permanent fillers are creating, from time to time, serious problems with bumps and deformities, and sometimes you have to operate," he said.
"All serious plastic surgeons agree one should avoid permanent fillers. We will see in the future patients of 50 who have had 15 years of fillers, with fibrous, tough tissue we won't be able to do anything with.
"The serious things are the permanent fillers, and the second is abuse of resolvable fillers."
Dr Sherrell Aston, chairman of plastic surgery at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, said: "Botox is OK, but I have concerns about the other fillers.
"I am really concerned that in 15 years we will see a lot of people with lumps and bumps and no good way to treat it."
Two months ago, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons warned that women were at risk from cowboy cosmetic practices.
President Douglas McGeorge said the beauty industry was full of "aestheticians" with little or no training handing out treatments that can go wrong.
"The public needs to be realistic about the outcomes it can expect from new cosmetic treatments, at least until solid clinical evidence of their efficacy exists."
He said Britain was storing up future health problems if it did not act to bring in statutory regulation.
"To foster a 'wild west' approach [of industry self-regulation] is not only an affront to reputable professionals who follow the rules, but ultimately creates an unsafe environment for the public."
source
