Administering non-surgical cosmetic procedures at home can be extremely risky, don’t risk it. Use a Save Face accredited practitioner to significantly reduce the risk of unwanted side effects.
Here at Save Face we only accredit non-surgical cosmetic practitioners who have been verified and inspected according to our strict Save Face best practice guidelines. If you opt for a practitioner who comes to your home, or even if are thinking of taking advantage of cheap ‘do-it-yourself’ kits and injecting yourself, you’re opening yourself up to a host of unnecessary risks.
Here at Save Face we would never recommend you take such unnecessary risks with your health. We believe that qualified, Save Face accredited practitioners are the best people for the job, and we want you to understand why.
So why should you see a qualified expert? What are the risks of being injected at home, either by yourself or someone claiming to be a ‘professional’? Get informed about the facts before you undergo any procedures.
What Are the Dangers?
It may be tempting to buy a very cheap do-it-yourself botulinum toxin kit, but is it really worth the risk?
As with any beauty treatments, botulinum toxin injections and dermal fillers come with possible side effects, and the risk of the side effects increases considerably when administered at home or by yourself.
Botulinum toxin injections smooth out wrinkles by paralysing muscles, if administered to the wrong area they can cause parts of the face to become droopy. In extreme situations, should the toxin get into a vital organ or muscle, such as the esophageal and respiratory muscles it can cause difficulty in breathing and even death. Other side effects could be speech impairment, difficulty swallowing and an affected eye sight.
Having a friend inject your lips with a dermal filler is just as dangerous. Dermal fillers are only supplied by licensed pharmacists to healthcare practitioners. Buying these products online you simply have no guarantee at all that you are being supplied with a legitimate product. Devastating infections, immune reactions and allergic responses can and do ensue, and once the injection is administered it cannot be taken out. Reactions can include things like infection, swelling or flu-like symptoms, and disfigurement as well as many others.
All of the above complications can be safely avoided by using a Save Face accredited non-surgical cosmetic practitioner, as they will have undergone thorough training, give you a skin test prior to the injection to ensure your safety, and will only carry out procedures in appropriate, hygienic premises that meet Save Face’s best practice standards.
Home Practitioners
As well as adverts for ‘do-it-yourself’ kits, you may also come across cosmetic practitioners who offer to come to your home to carry out procedures there.
Practitioners offering to come to your home may not have the right skills and training, and the fact that they are happy to administer medical procedures in an environment that is not equipped for medical emergencies should be a red light to anyone thinking of trying to save money by taking advantage of these services.
Ash Mosahebi, a consultant cosmetic and plastic surgeon and a member of BAAPS, says the results can be nasty.
"When things go wrong they can go badly wrong," he says.
"You're putting your health and well-being at risk by trying to save a few pennies. I've seen some terrible botched jobs. Fillers have gone all over the place and migrated to places they shouldn't have gone and it's been virtually impossible to correct it. The worst case scenario could leave you being disfigured."
The Cooking Oil Injector
The most famous (and horrific) story of a self-injector is that of Hang Mioku, a former model from Korea. Mioku quickly became addicted to the idea of the perfect image and had a number of surgical and non-surgical procedures, but when her face began to swell doctors refused to carry out any further procedures. This is where she took things into her own hands. Mioku bought silicone on the black market and injected it into her face, and when that ran out she turned to injecting cooking oil.
As a result she was left with a severely swollen face, and despite 10 corrective surgeries and the removal of 260g of silicone and other foreign substances she will never look ‘normal’ again.
So the next time you are tempted by a deal for DIY botulinum toxin injections, or other non-surgical cosmetic procedures, stop and think. Give your nearest cosmetic clinic a call and ask their opinion on the products. We’re sure they’ll send you to a professional instead.
