Michael J. Sacopulos, Esq.
Last week my wife was approached by a woman that does microderm treatments and other facial services. “Would you serve as my doctor for getting Botox? I can give the injections. I just need you to get the Botox for me. It will be fun!” exclaimed the woman. My wife, an optometrist, declined and tried to point out the dangers associated with injecting a neurotoxin into someones head. Undaunted, the woman stated, “No problem. Someone will get me the Botox. I have three treatments already scheduled for Friday.”
I fear that this was not a unique situation. The general public perception that Botox injects are no big deal and can be given by anyone that can obtain a bottle is simply wrong. Things don’t always go as planned.
According to CBS4 in Miami, last year Diana Cardenas-Gonzalez illegally injected Botox into several women at her West Miami-Dade home.
One of the clients/victims who wishes to remain anonymous revealed the scars to the news crew and said “Oh, my God, I was scared. You know, I said I’m not going to be myself anymore. When I would go out, people would ask me, ‘My gosh, what happen to you?’ little kids, ‘Mom, what happen to your face?'”
The client/victim said she knew Gonzalez was not a doctor but said she trusted her. “She wasn’t a doctor, but she said she was doing this for a while, and we all believed her, and I know people that everything is fine. This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she said.
When the client/victim developed the cyst on her face, she said she went back to Gonzalez who rubbed a massager on her face hoping it would alleviate the problem.
Gonzalez went before a judge last week to face charges of “practicing medicine without a license and practicing health care without a license causing injuries.”
In addition to lacking a license, it seems Gonzalez lacked a visa. At this time she remains behind bars on an immigration hold and criminal charges. The Gonzalez case serves as a reminder that it is both illegal and unethical to “rent” your professional license to another.
This is not a new trend….we have at least one or two inquiries a year from people who have “purchased their botox elsewhere” and want to know if our nurse injector will inject them. Obivoulsy, we always decline – we have no idea what we would be injecting and have no intention of taking that risk.
Clearly, they are getting their botox from somewhere – I suspect out of the country, or as in this article, from a doctor who is doing a “friend” a favor.
Why would a physician put their license on the line like that????
The reason you use a physician is not for when things go right…it’s for when they go wrong!!!
As a board certified physician who offers Botox at my New York cosmetic practices, hearing stories such as this is quite alarming. Botox should ONLY be administered by a physician or nurse under the supervision of a physician at a medical practice. All non-invasive procedures, including injectables like Botox can have side effects. If in a rare case a patient experiences any negative side effects, a physician is on hand to correct the problem. A non-healthcare professional is not capable of alleviating any of these issues and can in fact make a bad situation even worse. While Botox continues to grow in popularity, it is not in any case an over the counter product or injection that can be done by anyone, anywhere. There is skill involved, which is why it’s critical to receive Botox at a medical practice dedicated to facial aesthetics.
Amiya Prasad, M.D.
Prasad Cosmetic Surgery