The doctor Juan Antonio Lopez-Pitaluapresident of la explains that hyaluronic acid injections are used in the field of aesthetic medicine for treatments “such as replenishing facial volume losses due to age or other causes.”
Also, as the expert explains, there are patients who resort to this procedure to get
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“A harmonious increase in facial areas that can be enhanced, such as the lips, nasolabial folds, cheekbones or nose. In the same way, it can be used in body areas (hands, buttocks, hips, etc.) to compensate for a loss of volume or to highlight an area whose harmony is not in accordance with the surrounding area”.
But , which affects this medical specialty so much in our country and in the rest of Europe, can have serious damage to the health of patients, when those who apply these treatments are not doctors.
Since the beginning of 2022, the (ANSM, in its French acronym) has received about forty reports of adverse reactions after acid injections carried out by unauthorized persons.
These adverse effects, which can go as far as serious infections or skin necrosis, are mainly related to irregular practices, such as non-compliance with hygiene conditions or a wrong injection.
Also in Spain, recently, a criminal court in Barcelona has recognized that non-medical personnel cannot carry out aesthetic medicine treatments. And he has handed down a sentence of 16 months in prison for a crime of intrusion, public health and injuries in Catalonia.
What requirements must this aesthetic treatment meet?
The French drug safety agency warns that injectable hyaluronic acids for aesthetic purposes are absorbable for a more or less long period of time, depending on their nature and concentration.
Its use is regulated and reserved for doctors, because only they, through their training and acquired knowledge, know the anatomy of the face and body.
In addition, both the SEME and the ANSM, in addition to being performed by specialist doctors, hyaluronic acid injections require:
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Hygiene conditions (the so-called “asepsis”, thanks to the change of syringe, bottle, disinfection of the facilities, etc.).
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Determine the injectable product according to the areas to be injected.
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In addition, hyaluronic acid injection requires a review of the patient’s health basics, especially if they have allergies or autoimmune diseases.
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The use of hyaluronic acid injections requires that the person receiving the treatment is duly informed about the effects and risks involved. All the information on the traceability of the injected product (type, brand, batch number) must also be given.
The serious health consequences of intrusion into aesthetic medicine
The most common adverse reactions related to the misuse of hyaluronic acid injections and the fact that the treatment is not carried out by aesthetic medicine specialists are many and, in some cases, very serious.
In the event that the injection of the product does not comply with aseptic standards:
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It can cause a local infection from the area where the product was injected. Infection that, if not treated quickly, can become generalized causing sepsis.
- viral contamination (including HIV) or bacterial if the equipment used is shared.
If the acid is not punctured in the correct place, but rather in a blood vessel, which is plausible if not done by a doctor, the consequences can be:
- Necrosiswhich can lead to tissue amputation.
- Blindnessif the affected vessel is one of those that irrigates the eye.
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In the long term, it is also a risk bad product position injected, due to its migration and an inflammation of the injected tissues.
Better to be in the hands of a doctor
In any treatment, however minimal, more or less serious complications can arise. And being in the hands of a doctor is always the best.
Only they know and have the means to control immediate side effects such as an allergy to the injected product (), necrosis / ischemia (clogged blood vessels), appropriate medical treatment (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, hyaluronidase, etc.) and follow-up. .
In addition, they dominate the hygiene regulations related to acts of care, but also those of surgical waste (for example, the dirty syringe) that avoid the risk of contamination by HIV, communicable diseases due to hepatitis C, etc.