The number of complaints from patients who are harmed by complications when undergoing cosmetic procedures has increased in recent years. Complaints have ranged from harm done to patients to infectious disease outbreaks.
Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center said it sees patients daily who experienced a serious complication from cosmetic surgery that was performed by a physician with no background in the specialty, according to a March 31 Los Angeles Times report. California's medical board received more than 600 complaints alleging negligence in cosmetic surgery, though it is not clear how many of those are related to procedures performed by licensed physicians who are not certified in plastic surgery.
"The cosmetic world is kind of the Wild West," Jeffrey Swetnam, MD, president of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, told the Times. "It's critical that patients be educated and know what they're getting."
Since the start of 2024, Becker's has reported on four infectious disease outbreaks linked to cosmetic procedures.
First-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections: The CDC reported three women at a spa in New Mexico contracted HIV after receiving a "vampire facial" between 2018 and 2023. The procedure involves taking blood from the patient, separating the platelets and using microneedles to place the platelets back into the facial skin. All the patients were middle-age women with no HIV risk factors. The spa was shut down after a 2018 investigation but continued to operate without a license. The CDC determined that 59 spa clients may have been exposed to HIV and of those, 20 received vampire facials. A sexual partner of one of the patients was also infected with HIV, but that person was not a patient at the spa, the CDC said.
CDC investigates harmful reactions linked to counterfeit Botox: The CDC is investigating at least 22 reports of harmful reactions linked to counterfeit or mishandled Botox injections in 11 states. The harmful reactions, which included blurry vision and difficulty breathing, led to 11 patients being hospitalized. Those affected received injections from unlicensed or untrained people or in non-healthcare settings. The agency said it found some people received injections with fake products or products with "unverifiable sources."
Meningitis outbreak connected to contaminated epidurals: In 2023, 24 people were infected and 12 patients died from a meningitis outbreak the CDC linked to epidurals contaminated with the fungus Fusarium solani. The outbreak was connected to two medical clinics in Matamoros, Mexico, with many patients being Texas residents. All the affected patients underwent cosmetic procedures, including breast implants or liposuction, and an epidural anesthesia was used. The CDC theorized that the fungus entered through contaminated morphine bought on the black market amid drug shortages, but this was not confirmed.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria linked to improper infection control: The CDC found "multiple lapses" in proper infection control and prevention procedures at a Florida outpatient cosmetic surgery clinic linked to 15 cases in nine states of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria. The lapses included cleaning practice, use of personal protective equipment and surgical device disinfection at the clinic.