Getting Botox or dermal fillers used to be such a rarity in Ireland, and reserved for those who were brave enough or rich enough to indulge in these injectables.
Today, it's as commonplace to get either or both, and even though both are considered anti-ageing procedures, customers for both are getting younger and younger each year.
It's causing concern among medical professionals and respected clinics that backstreet salons and dubious black market operators are willing to inject people's faces with little or no training.
Anecdotally, stories about vouchers being used for Botox and dermal fillers abound, as do tales of people learning to inject from YouTube, which doesn't bear thinking about. Now, two leading Dublin doctors have called for better regulation around dermal fillers, in particular, which has no legislation as the law currently stands.
Dermal Fillers
Some of the more common side effects of dermal fillers include bruising at the injection site, bleeding, infection, lumps and asymmetry of the face, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
They also list the rarer complications if the injection goes into blood vessels rather than just the skin. In these cases, if the blood flow is blocked, it can lead to serious conditions like skin loss or wounds, and if it goes into an artery associated with the eye, it can cause blindness.
Leading doctors have taken to the airwaves to call for dermal fillers to be classified as a drug, like Botox, so that only doctors and dentists are permitted by law to inject the Hyaluronic Aid-based fillers that can be used in the lips, cheeks and other parts of the face.
Legislation
Dr Patrick Treacy of the Ailesbury Clinics in Dublin and Cork, and chair of the Irish Association of Cosmetic Doctors spoke with the Irish Daily Mail and said that dermal fillers can 'most certainly cause blindness'.
He said 'There are up to 500 such cases worldwide and I've dealt with two or three. I'm not the dermal fillers police but I've seen some awful cases and do continually. Dr Treacy has written a book dedicated to complications around cosmetic procedures and believes that legislation should be improved. He has also developed a method for helping to reverse dermal filler blindness.
Dr Brian Cotter, Sisu Clinic Director, spoke with Pat Kenny on his Newstalk show. He said several people had come to his clinic after some 'near misses' with dermal fillers. He said 'Anyone can purchase a dermal filler on the internet, and anyone, irrespective of qualification or no qualification, can inject dermal filler into the face. It’s an unregulated industry targeting a younger demographic, they view it not as anti-ageing but as ‘wellness'. The average age [of dermal filler patients] has gone from the mid-50s to late 20s, we've had people as young as 16 with their parents, very distressed about what’s happening.'
Until dermal fillers are properly classified as a drug by the Government, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) cannot enforce any restrictions on who can administer the fillers.
