Injectable Treatments: The Importance of Doctors and Nurses Working Together

30 Nov Injectable Treatments: The Importance of Doctors and Nurses Working Together

The number of cases involving the improper use of cosmetic injections in clinics and salons across Australia is rising at an alarming rate.

More and more stories are surfacing that showcase just how little regulation there seems to be around treatments that use prescription medicines such as anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers.

When administered correctly, these injectable treatments can provide exceptional results but only when the safety and wellbeing of patients is made a top priority.

There seem to be some very vague ideas about what’s deemed appropriate safety and acceptable, which can leave patients with significant and sometimes permanent health problems and complications.

Who Should Be Treating Patients?

Both registered nurses, trained and experienced in cosmetic medicine, and CPCA- doctors are capable of administering injectable treatments with a high degree of skill, but due to a lack of regulations, many treatments seem to be going horribly wrong when performed by inexperienced personnel.

A recent case in NSW, permanent vision loss in one eye occurred, following injection of dermal fillers by a registered nurse. Allegedly the prescribing doctor was in another location during treatment.

Even though a cosmetic nurse or a doctor can administer these types of injections, it’s highly recommended that a medical practitioner who is specifically trained and experienced, such as a CPCA- doctor, to always be involved in the processes of face-to-face consultation and on hand when treatments are carried out, ready to handle the unlikely event of a complication of the procedure.

Mixed Messages about Injectable Treatments

We live in a digital age, which means that information about cosmetic medicine is readily available. The main problem here is that there is such a large amount of information available, a lot of which provides mixed opinions about what’s considered safest and acceptable in terms of injectable treatments.

Most Australian patients know what to look for when choosing a doctor for their injectable treatments and know that choosing a procedure based on price alone is never a good idea. What many patients don’t know is exactly what they should expect before and during their treatment.

Stories about botched procedures are doing the rounds online yet patients continue to experience these life-threatening situations because too many doctors are not physically present before and during treatments.

Bridging the Gap & Educating Patients

Many patients are still reluctant to admit that they receive injectable treatments, so when things don’t go as planned, they aren’t always willing to open up about it. To address the stigma surrounding treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, more patients should be encouraged to share their stories to help others to increase awareness.

Cosmetic clinics that do make patient health and safety a top priority and who take pride in their qualifications and experience should be celebrated so that more patients know what it means to consult with the right kind of cosmetic medical practitioner.