Lip injections only with license

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Cosmetic surgeon Hans Peter Kern (58) needed a license from the Ministry of Defense 25 years ago if he wanted to inject Botox into the forehead of a client. After all, botulinum toxin, as the substance is called in full, is a neurotoxin.

Today it is much less complicated. Many cosmetic studios offer treatments with botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid – although they really shouldn’t. According to the Swissmedic Institute for Therapeutic Products, only doctors are allowed to inject substances that remain in the body for more than a month. And that is the case with the hyaluron products currently on the market. However, this rule has not yet been enshrined in law.

The National Council sees the need for action

Now Parliament could fill this loophole. A year and a half ago, the National Council approved a proposal from former National Council member Ruth Humbel (65), who wants to regulate hyaluron injections more strictly. “Such risky treatments can only be performed by doctors and sanctions are required for violations of the regulations,” Humbel explains her request.

The decision of the National Council was close – by a vote of 96 to 92. The Council of States will decide on Tuesday. If he says no, the amendment is off the table.

In the worst case, blindness

Cosmetic surgeon Kern, who runs a practice in Zurich, hopes parliament will accept Humbel’s proposal. He says illegal treatment is on the rise, especially in the big centers, but also in rural areas. Especially with hyaluronic acid, which like botulinum toxin can be used to smooth out wrinkles and inject lips. “There are large studios, but also very small ones that offer the treatment under the hand,” says Kern. “No one checks them. The drug control only comes into action when someone reports it.”

Kern warns that such treatments by beauticians without medical training are dangerous. Harmless complications include infections and herpes. If you inject hyaluron filler into a blood vessel, skin tissue can die and it has even happened that women have become blind due to an injection in the wrong place.

The Bundesrat is against

“I had a patient come to me with a completely discolored upper lip,” he says. She told him she was with a beautician. When she noticed the lip turning completely white, she just said it would go away. But months later, the discoloration was still visible as a permanent scar.

According to him, treatment by a doctor is not much more expensive than illegal treatment by a beautician. You can get a hyaluron treatment from about 400 francs.

The Federal Council opposes legally banning beauticians from hyaluronic treatments. He believes that the current regulations already provide sufficient protection. The cantons are responsible for control and sanctions.

Source:Blick