2 Investigators

Cosmetic Con: Atty. General Investigating Med Spas

Some Clients Say They Were Victims Of NuU Spas' Deceptive Advertising

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The Illinois Attorney General's Office is investigating complaints against a chain of Chicago area medical spas after the 2 Investigators reported on clients complaining that they were victims of deceptive advertising, misleading sales pitches and financing abuses.

CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman reports the seven NuU Med Spas in the Chicago area perform laser treatments and give injections to fill wrinkles and supposedly remove fat.

NuU says its medical professionals come with in-depth experience or, as the brochure says, are trained as part of the "NuU certified training program."

But registered nurse Jennifer Haftl says her NuU training for Botox injections amounted to, "Here's the video. Watch it. Here's the syringe. Go to it."

With insufficient training, she refused to inject a patient.

"I was told to fake it," Haftl said. "They're like, 'you can do it. You can do it. You can do it."

She didn't.

Rightly so, medical experts like the University of Chicago Hospital's Dr. David Song, say.

"This is an invasive medical treatment," Song said. "And if it's injected in the wrong place you can do some serious damage."

A NuU manager asked registered nurse Carol Donohue to train staff on how to use lasers -- for just one day.

"One day of training is no where near what they need to do this safely," Donohue said.

Improper laser use can lead to "burns, infections, blistering, permanent scarring."

One woman said she suffered burns after laser hair removal treatments at NuU's Lincoln Park med spa. Her lawsuit charging NuU with negligence was settled for a confidential amount.

But the problems continued.

"The aestheticians were burning people left and right," said former NuU manager Patti Feinstein.

NuU's head of customer relations, Rawlins Apilado, said, "It's not uncommon that that can happen."

Apilado says the burns don't cause permanent damage.

"And a client signs off on that consent form saying this may happen," he added.

NuU ads say the med spas are physician-supervised.

But that does not mean physicians are on site to evaluate whether certain treatments are appropriate for patients or to perform them.

State regulators say they should be, especially for Lipodissolve injections, because they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective to reduce fat, as NuU claims.

Plastic surgeons the 2 Investigators consulted say Lipodissolve is especially risky for people with certain medical conditions, including auto immune diseases.

"Because we do not know how their immune system will respond to having these enzymes injected into their body," said Dr. Michael Lee of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Lori Agostini's medical record proves she told NuU about her auto immune disease. But she agreed to finance $13,500 worth of Lipodissolve treatments after a NuU saleswoman told her "there is no health risk at all," Agostini said. "I have since found that what they told me is not true."

She had a bad reaction after two treatments and still could not see a NuU doctor at the Skokie med spa.

"Their ads are all fraudulent. No pain. Physician supervised," Agostini said. "They're lies."

NuU says it now has two doctors on staff but with 150 Lipodissolve treatments performed a day at seven locations NuU District Supervisor Laura Rowsey said they, "obviously cannot be at seven locations at the same time, but they can be there within minutes."

Meanwhile nurses say they were pressured by managers to inject patients who had health risks.

Haftl said she was told, "don't make such a big deal out of it.

Feinstein said, "The nurses cannot refuse these treatments because the sales people run the show."

NuU's new medical director, an osteopath, says the med spas now offer homeopathic alternatives for at-risk patients.

He also says FDA approval is not required for Lipodissolve treatments, but it is safe and effective.

That's debatable. A foundation sponsored by a society of plastic surgeons has gotten FDA approval to run tests on the safety and efficacy of Lipodissolve.

To protect yourself, experts say you should ask to meet the spa's doctor before having any treatments involving lasers or injections.

Ask to see the license of any aesthetician performing laser therapy to make sure they are licensed for that procedure.

And, if you're financing the care, make sure the finance company only pays the spa for treatments as you receive them – not in advance.

To file a complaint, you can contact the Illinois Attorney General's Office at (800) 386-5438 and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at (312) 814-6910.

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