Yet there are still many abuses in cosmetic care

NVCG launches hotline for abuses in cosmetic care Recently, the Dutch Association of Cosmetic Medicine (NVCG) launched the NVCG hotline for abuses in cosmetic care. The hotline offers victims of cosmetic abuses, their loved ones and their healthcare providers the opportunity to report them anonymously. In doing so, the NVCG wants to form an image of the extent and nature of abuses in cosmetic care. This image is shared with policy makers and enforcement agencies to reduce such abuses. Cosmetic abuses can be reported at https://nvcg.nl/meldpunt/. The reason for the hotline is serious complications after treatments with medical devices by non-doctors, faced by cosmetic doctors. Reducing abuses in the cosmetic sector requires more measures. “We are in favour of stricter legislation to prevent non-doctors from purchasing medical equipment. As long as there is no limit to the use of medical techniques such as the PlexR and hyaluronic pen, anyone in the Netherlands can purchase and use this equipment. As a result, clients run serious risks, with all the consequences that detail. More information: https://nvcg.nl/meldpunt/

THE HYALURONIC PEN

The beautician around the corner is advertising this new revolutionary way to enlarge your lips and fill in wrinkles. Completely safe, painless and also a lot cheaper than a filler treatment in the clinic. The hyaluronic pen promises fuller lips without the use of a needle. 'With the hyaluron pen, we can target and treat multiple zones, so the hyaluron pen is perfect for naturally filling lips and wrinkles!“, that's what the internet says. What is not said is that the complications after treatment with the hyaluron pen can be as serious as an incorrect injection with a needle. Blood vessels run in the face. Those vessels have a function. Should product enter those vessels during a filler treatment, they can become clogged. At such a time, a good doctor knows exactly what to do to get the blood flowing again. Not a therapist without training and thorough knowledge of anatomy. The product used to dissolve a hyaluronic acid filler is hyaluronidase. That is a medicine and for that reason only available in a clinic. A beautician does not have that in-house and does not have the authority or skills to inject it.

The hyaluronic pen works on the basis of air pressure. The product is pressed into the skin instead of being injected. That may seem safe, but it is not. The pen shoots hyaluronic acid into the dermis at 800 miles per hour. Pressure can also cause product to enter the blood vessels and result in the same complications as with an incorrectly injected filler. If such a complication is not treated immediately and properly, the skin may die and you may become blind. Just to name a few complications.

We'll spare you the daunting images of women experiencing a complication after treatment with a hyaluronic pen. Assume that's not a pretty sight.

PLEXER

Treatments with PlexR or other plasma energy-based equipment are surgical procedures because this technique damages the skin and takes time to recover. That's why it's a medically reserved action. Under the BIG Act, only doctors are authorized to perform these types of risky surgical treatments. Hyaluronic pen injections, like other injections, also fall under the BIG Act and are among the medically reserved actions. “We see, among other things, serious burns and death of the skin and teeth due to the use of these techniques by beauticians, dentists and other non-doctors. That is why we call on the government to take action against the use of medical equipment and the carrying out of medical activities by unauthorised persons”.

“NVCG hotline for cosmetic care abuses,