Dec 16, 2008 9:10 pm US/Central
Med Spa Industry Virtually Unregulated In Illinois
Patients Say They've Been Scarred, Burned During Laser Treatments
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Can your skin type tolerate laser treatments? If so, which laser? At what energy level? And for how long? Those are all decisions that need to be made by an experienced practitioner.
CBS
Imagine paying for a cosmetic laser procedure at a medical spa and ending up scarred for life. As CBS 2 investigator Pam Zekman reports,
it's happened to some patients in Illinois, where the med spa industry is virtually unregulated.
But, there are efforts to change that.
In Florida, the case of a woman who suffered second and third degree burns from laser treatments performed by a nurse on her back and arms at a med spa prompted tough new regulations in that state.
Now, doctors there must evaluate a patient before treatments. Staff must be certified by an accrediting group to perform treatments, and there must be on site supervision by a doctor.
The American Society of Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) is pushing for similar regulations here.
"Illinois desperately needs this kind of regulation because right now it's getting out of control," said Carolyn Jacob, M.D., of the ASDS.
The ASDS says there has been an increasing number of med spa patient injuries like the burn cases featured in our 2 investigation.
"Shocking. Horrifying. If there had been a physician on site there could have been some help for those patients where perhaps they wouldn't have had permanent scarring," Dr. Jacob said.
Deborah Hellman was badly burned by laser treatments performed by a nurse at a Chicago Pure Med Spa.
"I think a doctor on staff as well as more training, more training for these type of procedures are absolutely imperative," Hellman said.
The Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (DPR) has proposed new rules which the med spa industry opposes.
Other critics say the DPR proposals for laser treatments don't go far enough.
"It doesn't set forth any kind of standards as far as the training is concerned for the people who are actually going to be performing these procedures," said Hellman's attorney, Thomas Boleky.
An aesthetician at a Nu U med spa seriously burned a hair removal patient along her bikini line.
Bella Sacramento was shocked when Nu U technicians using a laser to remove hair over her lip didn't follow the basics.
"I realized that I wasn't having anything to protect my eyes from the bright light," Sacramento said.
"Basic laser 101. The first thing you learn is that you have to have protective goggles with these lasers," Dr. Jacob said.
Worse yet, experts say med spa staff that is not medically trained to evaluate skin blemishes could make a fatal mistake.
"If you had a skin cancer that was not identified by a dermatologist prior to your treatment, it could theoretically spread and lead to death," Dr. Jacob said.
Spokespeople for Pure and Nu U med spas both have said that their services are provided by trained professionals and they provide quality care. Doctors act as supervisors or consultants but are not on site for the laser procedures.
State regulators are now reviewing comments on the proposed regulations but did not respond to the 2 Investigators' request for an interview.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jewish Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
