4/27/07

The Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety has launched a public awareness campaign on the safe use of injectables.

“The specialties that have pioneered and advanced cosmetic treatment with injectables have come together as a group in support of the value that cosmetic injectable treatments provide patients, but we are concerned that troubling reports and requests for help from patients hurt by counterfeit or so-called ‘off-shore’ injectables or by untrained injectors are growing,” says Mark L. Jewell, MD, chair of the Physicians Coalition and past president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

According to statistics released by ASAPS, 5.7 million injectable procedures were performed for aesthetic purposes in 2006. ASAPS encourages patients to choose a board-certified physician who regularly performs aesthetic procedures of the face and skin and who uses FDA-approved injectables.

“Despite the perception that these are noninvasive treatments, these injections are medical procedures that should only be administered in a medical setting. Patients should have confidence the person prescribing and performing the injection has the appropriate training and that the product is genuine,” says Alastair Carruthers, FRCPC, president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

The Coalition has launched a Web site, www.injectablesafety.org, which offers information on how to choose a qualified provider and the benefits and risks of injectables.

[www.medicalnewstoday.com, April 21, 2007]