The underground filler market is full of risks.
“Cheap hand-carried fillers, guaranteed genuine, no swelling, no pain!”, these advertisements are all over social networks, e-commerce platforms and even in beauty spa groups. But behind these attractive offers is a risky underground market with fake fillers and poor quality fillers quietly sneaking into the hands of consumers.
Just type the keyword "Wholesale filler" on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites and hundreds of accounts will appear, most of which are of unknown legal origin and have no specific business address. They only leave their zalo numbers or send inbox messages to get "good quotes". According to statistics from the Vietnam Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the rate of filler injection complications is 14%, equivalent to 25,000 - 35,000 cases out of a total of about 250,000 people undergoing cosmetic surgery each year.
Admitted to Viet Duc Hospital for emergency treatment with severe vision loss in her left eye due to complications from injecting filler at home to lift her nose, a 14-year-old female student ( Hanoi ) regretfully shared: "I like having a high nose bridge, so when I heard the advertisement that injecting this type of filler would make my nose beautiful, I bought it and did not expect it to be so serious."
According to the female student, because she saw an advertisement on social media and learned about a quick and simple nose job with filler injections, she bought filler online and injected it at home without any knowledge of safe medical procedures. During the injection, she felt a sharp pain, then felt dizzy, lightheaded, and had double vision. Her family quickly took her to Viet Duc Hospital. The female student was diagnosed with a cerebral artery blockage causing vision loss. Fortunately, after the doctor intervened, she gradually regained her sight.
Also thanks to an acquaintance who injected filler into her nose at home, the 29-year-old girl (Hanoi) was not so lucky and lost vision in her left eye permanently. According to the girl, during the injection process, she experienced severe pain, blurred vision and quickly lost vision in her left eye. Doctors at Viet Duc Hospital diagnosed her with left central retinal artery occlusion, causing severe damage to the optic nerve - a serious complication due to incorrect filler injection technique.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha, Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Viet Duc Hospital, said that the doctor had witnessed many patients being rushed to the emergency room after receiving filler injections at the spa. The patients said that when they first entered the spa, they saw that it was very beautiful, they said the medicine was genuine from abroad...
But when I went in to get the injection, I saw them carrying a can and sucking the substance out to inject. Just 2 or 3 minutes after the injection, the customer felt dizzy and fainted, and was taken to the hospital by his family. When I asked at the spa, they still refused to say what substance was injected. When I got to the hospital, the doctors wanted to save him but didn't know how to save him.
Illegal injection facilities need to be strictly handled.
Every year, hundreds of cosmetic accidents occur, including many cases of filler injections for facelifts, breast augmentation, buttock augmentation, nose augmentation, wrinkle removal, etc. Most fillers injected at spas are of unknown origin, injected by "street" practitioners. When patients have to be hospitalized, these spas find ways to "compensate" so that the patient does not disclose where the injection was done. According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha, injecting fillers of unknown origin and not ensuring safety is one of the causes of complications. Many people think that filler injection is simple, so they easily let others inject without caring about whether that person is qualified or not, or whether the origin and source of the substance injected into their body is guaranteed or not.
Dr. Le Thi Ngoc My (Dr. Hanna My), a cosmetic plastic surgery specialist at Tam Cosmetic Clinic, said that many people are currently injecting fillers at spas or hiring someone to inject them at home. This is a practice that carries many potential risks leading to complications. Many people choose to beautify themselves with fillers because they are less invasive, quick to perform (only about 15-30 minutes), do not require abstinence and do not take much recovery time. However, in reality, you should be careful with poor quality fillers of unknown origin that can lead to serious complications such as swelling, redness, rash, itching, bruising, infection, vascular damage, necrosis, etc.
“According to regulations, filler injection is an invasive cosmetic procedure that can only be performed by professionals, at cosmetic clinics that ensure facilities and are licensed. Spas are not licensed to perform filler injections. Spas that inject fillers for customers or services that take filler injections to customers’ homes are illegal activities,” said Dr. Ngoc.
Doctors recommend that to identify real, genuine fillers, people should observe the intact box, no signs of peeling, embossed, sharp letters. However, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish because counterfeiting methods are increasingly sophisticated. In addition, the Code printed on the product packaging must be clear with accurate and specific information about the production date, full expiration date, along with a user manual provided by the manufacturer.
You should only choose fillers that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and are allowed by the Ministry of Health to be imported and circulated in Vietnam. You should not listen to advertisements to choose fillers that have a very long shelf life because these are mostly low-quality products that will take a long time to dissolve, while quality fillers will dissolve after 6-18 months after injection. Genuine fillers are only provided to reputable addresses, not widely distributed.
According to regulations, only doctors with a certificate of practice in dermatology or cosmetic surgery, who have completed continuing education courses on fillers, are allowed to perform this procedure. Nurses, spa technicians or individuals who self-study online are not allowed to perform filler injections. Filler injection rooms must meet strict medical requirements, have sterile instruments, have shockproof boxes, and nursing support throughout the procedure.
Fillers used must be transported and stored at the correct temperature. If they are too hot or not cold enough, they can change. To ensure the safety of people who want to beautify themselves, it is recommended that authorities increase inspections of spas that illegally inject fillers to strictly handle them, avoiding people from "losing money and getting sick".
Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/nhieu-tai-bien-nghiem-trong-do-tiem-filler-rom-de-lam-dep-i771445/
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