Complications from quick beauty treatments for Tet (Lunar New Year)

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, women's demand for beauty products increases. Capitalizing on consumer trends, social media is flooded with advertisements for "instant skin whitening," "breast enhancement for a fuller and more attractive bust," "affordable at-home skin peeling," "skin rejuvenation in just 7 days," "beauty in 15 minutes," etc., with attractive promotions and discounts.

Beauty salons also use misleading advertisements to attract customers, leading to many people suffering severe complications, ruining their appearance, and requiring hospitalization.

A female patient received botox injections at home and subsequently became paralyzed, requiring mechanical ventilation.

Emergency patient hospitalized after receiving cheap filler injections at unlicensed beauty clinic.

Beauty is a legitimate need for women every time Tet (Lunar New Year) comes around. However, many people, wanting quick beauty results, instead of going to licensed medical facilities, go to unlicensed spas and beauty salons that are not controlled by professional and regulatory agencies to get cheap filler injections for nose, breast, and buttock enhancements, operating illegally and suffering long-term consequences.

Wishing to have fuller and more attractive breasts, Ms. NTH (30 years old) went to a spa to have HA filler injected into her breasts. About two weeks after the injection, she noticed a hard lump in her breast, and over time, her breasts became swollen, red, hot, and much more painful. Panicked, Ms. H went to the Central Dermatology Hospital for examination. There, she was diagnosed with a right breast abscess after filler injection. This is a type of complication after filler injection at an unlicensed facility. Doctors performed surgery, and her health is now stable and she is continuing treatment.

According to Dr. Nguyen Huu Quang, Deputy Head of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Central Dermatology Hospital, the desire for fuller and more attractive breasts is entirely legitimate for women. However, before undergoing any procedure, people need to thoroughly research the facility, the practitioner, the method used, and whether the products are licensed and meet medical standards.

"Breast augmentation using HA filler injections was once advertised as 'fast - non-surgical - painless - no downtime'. In reality, this method carries many dangerous complications. Don't let yourself end up with bitter results instead of having a full and attractive bust as advertised," Dr. Quang emphasized.

The National Dermatology Hospital has recorded numerous cases of patients suffering from complications such as lumps, breast deformation, infections, abscesses, necrosis, vascular occlusion leading to blindness, skin necrosis, and even life-threatening conditions after receiving filler injections for cosmetic purposes. Dr. Quang warns women that there is no beauty method that is both cheap, fast, non-surgical, and absolutely safe. With breast augmentation, safety must be paramount; don't compromise your health for the sake of advertising.

The dangerous trend of injecting skin rejuvenation substances.

After hearing advertisements about skin peeling (using chemical agents to remove damaged skin cells and replace them with new ones) that claimed it was cheap and would quickly whiten and smooth her skin at home, Ms. D.HL (40 years old, Hanoi ) ordered the product online. After 3 weeks, her skin peeled, became rough, and darkened, requiring her to see a dermatologist for treatment.

The current trend of using at-home skin peels is gaining popularity among women seeking quick beauty results. In an interview with a reporter from the Public Security Newspaper, Dr. Vu Thai Ha, Head of the Stem Cell Research and Application Department at the Central Dermatology Hospital, stated that women should not follow this trend without understanding their own skin condition. Not all skin types are suitable for peeling, although this method is used by many doctors because it is simple and inexpensive. However, it also carries the potential for complications if the product's effects are not fully understood.

According to Dr. Ha, some peel products contain substances that can cause pigment disorders, irritate the skin, and potentially increase the risk of skin cancer, so skin conditions must be assessed before use. “Even with the same type of peel, the depth of action varies depending on the skin condition, so extreme caution is necessary. Women should go to reputable facilities or specialized dermatology hospitals to have the treatment performed and medication applied under the supervision of a doctor, rather than buying peels on the market and applying them themselves,” Dr. Ha emphasized.

Along with this beauty method, advertisements promising "flawless beauty" through rapid skin rejuvenation injections have led many women to spas and beauty salons to receive injections of unlicensed products. A typical example is Ms. D.T.T. (45 years old, Hai Phong ), who, after receiving a rejuvenation injection, experienced redness, burning pain, and her skin was covered in pus-filled pimples.

Dr. Vu Thai Ha stated that while many skin rejuvenation injections are licensed by the Ministry of Health, there are also many products of unknown origin. In 2025, the Central Dermatology Hospital received many cases of severe complications, most commonly granulomatous reactions, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, atrophic lesions in the injected areas, and pitted scars. This beauty method involves injecting medication into the skin to treat specific skin conditions; therefore, Dr. Ha advises women to go to reputable facilities where doctors can examine them and recommend the appropriate injections.

Beauty is a process; nothing is both quick and cheap, and it can deliver a dramatic transformation in a very short time. Not long ago, Bach Mai Hospital admitted a 34-year-old woman from Hanoi who had received botox injections at home (into her forehead and both sides of her chin) from an acquaintance she met online. She quickly became paralyzed, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. She was diagnosed with botulinum toxin poisoning due to a violation of cosmetic treatment protocols.

According to doctors, many spas, hair salons, and even online sellers may arbitrarily, or even recklessly, administer Botox or other skin-whitening products of unknown origin, without knowing how to determine safe dosages and without the ability to provide emergency care in case of complications, which is extremely dangerous. However, very few violating establishments are detected and prosecuted. People are either uninformed or careless, wanting to save money, often hiding their beauty treatments from their families. When complications occur, very few victims report or denounce the violating establishments, often concealing the incident for fear of being exposed.

Dr. Ha advises that women who want to quickly enhance their beauty for Tet (Lunar New Year) should prioritize non-invasive or minimally invasive treatments that leave no visible marks on the skin's surface, but must go to reputable medical facilities and be examined, treated, and monitored by dermatologists.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/bien-chung-vi-lam-dep-cap-toc-don-tet-i792969/