Anti-aging injections delivered by untrained practitioners put thousands of patients at risk, say doctors. According to The Guardian, some doctors are concerned about the potential risks of injectable facial fillers, which are popular among both men and women looking to reduce wrinkles and fill in facial lines.

According to The Guardian, facial fillers are often injected into patients by practitioners who have not been trained to administer the injections or who are not licensed doctors. The British Association of Dermatologists recently called for the UK's MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Productions Regulatory Agency) to pass tighter regulations for such injectable treatments.

The Times reports that in the UK, some anti-aging fillers are associated with a complication rate of nearly 5%. Some of the fillers used there, which are not approved for use in the U.S., tend to migrate from the injection site, resulting in lumps underneath the skin. Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said “Anyone who has a permanent filler must be made aware that in the long term they can have problems, including infections or reactions to the materials.”

Dr. Sean Cummings points to another problem with injectable fillers – practitioners do not have to be doctors, and many learned to use the treatments during a single afternoon training session. He told the Times “Some people say it is safe enough to use and I have had some good results. I have seen complications in the range of 4.5-5%, which is not safe. I have stopped using it.” The manufacturer says any complications are most likely caused by poor administration of the injection, and the MHRA said it is not concerned about the safety of the product, “provided that it was used according to the manufacturer's instructions.”

Source: http://www.nosejob.org/news/cosmetic-surgery/doctors-voice-concerns-about-facial-filler-injections