Risk of skin damage due to quick beauty treatments at home

Image of botox injections to slim the jaw posted online by a spa in Gia Loc town for advertising

Self-injection of drugs into the skin

"Botox injections have miraculous power, slim jaw after only 1 injection, results in 3 days, 7 to 10 days to reduce 70 - 80%, 1 month effective 100%, small face that everyone loves, extremely standard botox, extremely slim for only over 2 million VND; bright, smooth skin after peeling, meso injection..." These are the words that many cosmetics sellers, spas providing chemicals and skin rejuvenation services advertise to attract customers, mainly women. Advertised as a quick, non-surgical, quick and simple beauty method, many women increasingly favor it. Many people go online to buy the medicine and apply it on their skin.

In fact, skin peeling or "skin peeling procedure" is a method of using chemical compounds applied to the skin surface, helping to remove dead cells, dirt, bacteria deep in the pores, promoting the skin renewal process and regenerating new skin. Subcutaneous meso injection is using micro-syringes to push essences, nutrients, and treatment drugs deep into the skin to increase the skin's absorption capacity, increase the effectiveness of rejuvenation or treatment. Many people choose botox injections to remove wrinkles, rejuvenate the skin and shape the face (slim the jawline). These rejuvenation methods only maintain their effectiveness for a certain period of time and may need to be re-injected if they want to maintain the effectiveness.

Compared to filler injections, all three of these methods are easier to perform, so many women buy the medicine themselves to use. Believing in the advertisements for meso injections that instantly make the skin as plump as "hydrated", Nguyen Khanh L. (21 years old) in Hoang Dieu commune (Gia Loc) bought a box of 5 tubes of injection solution online for 850,000 VND and injected it at home. "Because I am still a student, I chose to inject myself to save money. I think meso injections are quick and simple, just injecting on the skin layer, and the meso needle is super small so it is painless. A week after the injection, the bruises and small bumps have not completely disappeared as advertised and the skin is not as plump as expected," L. said.

Currently, if there is a need, customers can easily buy these chemicals and tools online. Searching for the keyword "skin rejuvenation injection solution" can bring up many results with diverse prices, quite a large difference from 500,000 VND to 5 million VND/product. Instructions for injecting at home are also easily found on Google, Youtube, Facebook...

The disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

Ms. Y. in Lien Hong commune (Hai Duong city) experienced complications of hyperpigmentation after skin peeling (photo provided by the character)

At the end of November 2022, Ms. Y. (24 years old) in Lien Hong commune (Hai Duong city) performed skin peeling at home to treat acne and dark spots. However, after about 2 weeks when the old skin layer had peeled off and the new skin layer was regenerated, an area of ​​skin on the right cheek became hyperpigmented, and the dark spots from previous acne became darker than before the skin peeling. "After that, I had to go to a spa to treat this hyperpigmentation complication for 1 month before my skin returned to normal. This took time, cost a lot of money and caused a lot of inconvenience in my work and daily life during that time," Ms. Y. shared.

With skin rejuvenation injections and jaw reduction, if injected incorrectly or with the wrong medication, it can cause sagging, clumping, and infection. Worse, if injected into the wrong vein, it can be dangerous to health. Many people who self-inject have complications but find ways to fix them themselves, afraid to share because of inferiority complex.

According to Dr. Hoang Thi Lan, Head of the Department of Aesthetics, Hai Duong Eye and Dermatology Hospital, these methods can be effective if performed correctly, with the right medicine and regulations, but if done incorrectly, the consequences are unpredictable.

"Currently, the State management of drugs, cosmetics and these services is still loose. Many unlicensed spas and beauty establishments openly perform these services. People should choose licensed establishments, performed by doctors to ensure safety, avoid risks, and not do it at home. Currently, the hospital has not received any cases of serious complications due to injections, but the market for chemicals, services and current beauty trends are very worrying," Dr. Lan shared.

Doctor Hoang Thi Lan, Head of the Department of Aesthetics, Hai Duong Eye and Dermatology Hospital, warns that skin beautification methods can cause unpredictable consequences if used incorrectly.

Doctor Lan recommends that injecting chemicals into the skin requires knowing the injection site, distance from blood vessels, which layer to inject into and what dosage. Post-injection and skin peeling care also needs to be very thorough and careful to avoid complications. Currently, a good type of botox licensed by the Ministry of Health costs about 4-5 million VND/ml, but many types floating on the market are much cheaper, with many potential risks of complications, especially when users do it themselves at home.

SNOW WIND