The number of medical spas have grown exponentially over the past few years. In Massachusetts alone there are over 250 medical spas, from upscale salons to medical practice based spas staffed by plastic surgeons and dermatologists.
At the present time these spas are not required to be licensed and are not regulated by the state if they are owned by, or affilated with a physician even thought the physician is not required to be present at the spa.
Over the past five years the FDA received 930 reports of dermal filler injury administer by untrained personnel or in settings other that health clinics or physician’s offices. These injuries ranged from facial palsy, infections, and scarring.
Dr. Jeffrey Dover, a well know dermatologist served on the task force to regulate medical spas. He proposed cosmetic treatments only be performed by physicians or those employed by the medical practice. He made reference to patients referred to his practice by their own doctor with brown spots to be lasered; under his trained eye these spots were in fact skin cancers. If these patients had gone to a med spa, their spots might have been lasered and their skin cancers gone undetected.
Unfortuately, legislation to more tightly regulate medical spas was stalled in the State House last summer.
Click here to read the full article that recently appeared in the Boston Globe.
