It’s common for people interested in cosmetic treatments such as dermal fillers or Botox to wonder why they should use the services of a plastic surgeon. After all, anyone can give a few injections, right?

Sure, pretty much anyone can stick a needle into your body. However, there are often negative consequences of using an injector that is not properly trained. Even worse, you could use an unlicensed provider if you haven’t done your homework. 

You should only use a board-certified plastic surgeon trained to perform injectables accurately. Not only will this prevent something serious such as infection, blocked blood vessels or irreversible nerve damage, but it also ensures you don’t walk away with a botched procedure that will take a lot of time and money to repair. 

Read on to learn why it is crucial that you use a board-certified plastic surgeon for any injectable cosmetic treatment and some scary examples of what could happen if you don’t.  

 

The Importance of Using A Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon for Injectable Cosmetic Treatments

Searching for a Groupon deal, going to a “botox party,” or opting for an injector without board certification might save you a few bucks and sound appealing, but doing so often comes with a cost– aesthetically, financially, and medically. 

Let’s start with aesthetics. The reason most people seek injectables is to improve their appearance, right? Using an unqualified injector could result in the exact opposite. If someone isn’t trained in facial anatomy, at the very least, you will have subpar results. But you could also leave their chair with a disfigurement that will cost you a pretty penny to reverse (assuming the botched procedure can be fixed.) For example, if you need to have your filler dissolved, it will set you back upwards of 300-500 dollars per area.

Those are only the aesthetic consequences and their out-of-pocket expenses. Many dangerous and sometimes irreversible things could happen if an injector isn’t adequately trained. For example, if you end up with an infection, that could cost you over a thousand dollars to treat. And suppose the injector blocks a blood vessel. In that case, you are looking at tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills– assuming a doctor cannot unblock it. 

Reversing the damage from a botched injectable treatment can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Furthermore, allowing someone unlicensed or inexperienced to inject you with Botox or dermal filler can result in long-term and often irreversible damage and, in extreme cases, things like blindness or stroke, which we will discuss a little further down. 

If you’re considering any type of injectable cosmetic treatment, it’s crucial to remember injectable treatments require a very different skill set than other types of injections, like a flu or allergy shot. It’s not “just Botox” or “just dermal filler.” These cosmetic treatments might only take a few minutes to complete, but they are medical procedures.

Without a clear understanding of the product, product placement and facial anatomy, an untrained professional can mess up the symmetry of your face, nick a blood supply, damage a nerve, and potentially cause irreparable damage. 

Choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon to perform injectables is essential to ensure the highest level of safety and expertise. Not only will this guarantee that you’re in good hands and receive superior results, but it can also prevent spending thousands of dollars, disfigurement and serious medical complications.

Choose wisely; you could be putting your health and your appearance at risk.

 

The Most Common Products and Cosmetic Procedures Being Illegally or Incorrectly Performed

Injectables like Botox® have become a household name, with nearly 11 million treatments and counting performed in the United States. With such widespread popularity, it’s common to think injectables aren’t a big deal and that one injector is as good as the next– this is false!!

We can’t stress enough that all injectables are medical procedures that require a provider with considerable skill, a well-developed eye for symmetry and proportion, and a thorough knowledge of facial anatomy to ensure safe injections and a beautiful outcome.

Here are the two most common cosmetic procedures being illegally or incorrectly performed.

  • Injectable Neurotoxins: These injectables are better known under brand names such as Botox®, Dysport®, Xeomin®, Jeuveau®, and Daxxify®. They all work by blocking nerve impulses to specific muscle fibers, and there is very little room for error.

    If you choose an inexperienced injector, there is the risk that you could not only walk away with the dreaded “frozen face,” but if you are injected too deeply, too close to the surface, or in the wrong area, there is the risk for drooping eyelids and severe facial asymmetry. 

It is crucial that you use a board-certified plastic surgeon that is well-versed in the 43 facial muscles to inject, the exact point and depth in the muscle to place the needle, and how much to inject to achieve a great result.

  • Dermal Fillers: You also probably recognize these injections that plump up lips, smooth lines and restore volume in your face by brand names such as Restylane, Sculptra, Radiesse, and Juvéderm. Furthermore, many of these fillers come in different variations. For example, there are eight types of Juvederm and each with its own benefits and areas of effect.

    An inexperienced injector won’t know this and may use a filler in the wrong place. Doing so could result in nodules or scarring. On the more severe side of things, if an injector doesn’t know what they are doing or which product to use where, more serious and even permanent complications could occur.

    Infection, facial deformity, death of skin tissue, vision loss, and stroke could happen if an injector doesn’t know to ask about possible allergic interactions and doesn’t have experience and knowledge of facial anatomy to know where the blood vessels are and how to avoid them.

As with any medical procedure or cosmetic treatment, there are always risks. However, such instances are extremely rare if you use an ethical, trusted, experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon. 

 

Case Files and Consequences of Using Unqualified or Unlicensed Providers

Unfortunately, there are many horror stories of people who have walked away with botched filler and Botox or have been harmed by unqualified injectors. Many of these unfortunate situations don’t make the news, but some do.

One example that created public buzz a few years ago and brought the issue of unethical injectable treatments to light is the case of Nohemi Gonzalez. 

Reports state that Gonzalez injected people with liquid silicone, claiming it was Botox, out of her home in Hidalgo County, Texas. Hidalgo is on the Texas-Mexico border. Many of Gonzalez’s clients were undocumented immigrants who could either not afford injectables or were afraid to see an American doctor.

Hidalgo County authorities became aware of the illegal “plastic surgery” practice when one of Gonzalez’s victims sought treatment from a Mexican doctor for a burning sensation in her legs after having the injections. The Mexican physician sent her to a South Texas hospital to have the substance removed.

Because liquid silicone has been banned since 1991, the hospital called law enforcement officials to investigate. They soon found Gonzalez’s Spanish-language advertisements that claimed that her treatments could reduce wrinkles and add volume to their buttocks and legs.

Thankfully Gonzalez was arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license. She could also face additional charges if police confirm that one of her client’s deaths was related to the silicone treatments.

And remember Jeffree Star’s infamous lip filler incident?! 

In 2019, the beauty guru went to a Beverly Hills injector and asked for Juvéderm, a safe and temporary hyaluronic acid-based injectable commonly used when a patient wants fuller lips. But a few years later, he noticed something was off and discovered that Juvéderm wasn’t the only thing in the syringe!

The injector allegedly added silicone to the mix! The result? Star says he had to have costly reconstructive surgery! “I regret ever meeting that doctor. I regret going into his office, and I regret ever letting him touch my face,” says Star. 

Star isn’t the only A-lister to speak out about being a victim of cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery gone wrong. A number of big names have tried Botox and fillers but regretted the decision. Khloé Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Courtney Cox, Cameron Diaz, Tara Reid, and Janice Dickinson are just some celebs who have opened up about botched results or going overboard with cosmetic surgery procedures.

These are only a few examples. Every day people get injected by unethical, inexperienced and/or unlicensed injectors and walk away with botched work or irreversible damage. The good news is injectable treatments have very little risk of complications when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon.

By choosing a board-certified surgeon, like the experienced staff at The Lett Center, you can have peace of mind knowing that you are in good hands and that your procedure will be performed with the utmost care and precision.

 

Conclusion: Don’t Take a Gamble. Only Choose a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for Injectables

Board-certified plastic surgeons have a much different skill set than someone that does your lashes or an esthetician that does facials. They are medical doctors that have undergone the highest level of aesthetic surgery education and training.

Board-certified plastic surgeons have at least six years of surgical residency training, an absolute minimum of two years in plastic surgery, and have passed rigorous tests proving their skill and knowledge of facial anatomy. They know exactly where and where not to inject, what product to use and the precise amount for an individual’s needs.

Additionally, authentic, FDA-approved injectables are only available through a licensed physician. It’s common for “fake” products to get into the hands of unqualified injectors. Choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon gives you peace of mind of knowing you’re getting the real deal and not something dangerous. 

Your appearance and health are worth investing in a plastic surgeon’s skill and precision. 

Skip the “botox party” and resist seeking the “least expensive” injector. Only get injectables from a board-certified plastic surgeon to ensure your safety and guarantee natural results.

 

Book Your Injectable Cosmetic Treatment with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Middle Tennessee

Here at The Lett Center, our #1 goal as a plastic surgery & medspa clinic is to provide you with the safest, most ethical, and most effective surgical & nonsurgical procedures to look & feel your best.

Call us today at 615.443.0901 to request a consultation for your injectables.