Serious allegations have reached the Chania Medical Association in recent days, related to cosmetic procedures being performed in non-clinical settings by individuals who lack the appropriate qualifications. Specifically, it has been reported that doctors from other specialties are offering aesthetic services that, according to the Chania Medical Association, fall outside the scope of their licensed practice.
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No formal complaints have yet been filed with the Chania Medical Association, but verbal reports have come to its attention. As the president of the Chania Medical Association, Voula Orfanoudaki, stated to flashnews.gr: “There are beauty centers and aestheticians who have crossed the line — without being doctors, they are administering botox and hyaluronic acid. A plastic surgeon informed me of an incident in Chania in which an aesthetician injected hyaluronic acid into a client for a non-surgical rhinoplasty.”
What the president of the Chania Medical Association reported
“The client nearly suffered necrosis of the nose because the procedure was performed in the wrong area. Fortunately, the woman immediately sought medical help, and the doctor managed to prevent the worst outcome. If you ask hospitals with plastic surgery departments, they will tell you they receive dozens of cases where they rush to correct dangerous mistakes made by aestheticians and unqualified practitioners,” she continued.
“They refused to give me the name”
“I know of cases where people had hyaluronic acid treatments, experienced poor results, and then had to visit a plastic surgeon to correct them. When I asked who had performed the original procedure, I was told it was a plastic surgeon’s assistant from Athens who comes down to Chania on weekends and performs the treatments at half the price. Note — it’s the assistant performing the procedures. When I repeatedly asked for the name, they refused to tell me,” emphasized Ms. Orfanoudaki.
Which medical specialties are qualified to administer botox and hyaluronic acid
The president of the Chania Medical Association clarified that only three medical specialties are legally authorized to administer botox and hyaluronic acid for cosmetic purposes: specialists in Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Dermatology and Venereology; and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Other doctors may use these substances only for specific conditions related to their own specialty — not for cosmetic purposes. “We have received information about various specialties — general practitioners, pathologists, and even an ophthalmologist — performing cosmetic procedures. There have even been reports of a veterinarian administering cosmetic botox,” Ms. Orfanoudaki stressed.
Three criminal complaints are being prepared
The Chania Medical Association, which has previously raised the alarm without receiving a response from the authorities, is now moving forward with immediate legal action, according to Ms. Orfanoudaki: “Together with our legal counsel, I am preparing three criminal complaints against beauty centers and aestheticians, as well as formal complaints to the aestheticians’ association and the Regional Health Directorate. We will revoke the operating licenses of one to two beauty centers. A line has to be drawn somewhere.”
“There must be a barrier put in place”
Extensive inspections are also expected to be carried out to determine who is and who is not complying with the existing regulatory circular. At the same time, another pressing issue is how aesthetics professionals who are not authorized to use injectable substances manage to obtain them in the first place. “Clearly, they are sourcing them directly from the companies that supply them. And that is where a barrier must be put in place. It cannot be acceptable for a company to supply an aesthetician who has no legal right to use the product,” concluded the president of the Chania Medical Association.
Read more at flashnews.gr
