Amateur cosmetic injections: serious risks for women

The beauty standards promoted on social media lead some women to turn to unqualified individuals for injections with botulinum toxin or hyaluronic acid. The procedures, sometimes carried out at home or in unauthorized spaces, can cause anything from financial losses to serious medical complications.

One patient recounted that she bought Botox from South Korea and gave herself approximately eight injections in her forehead, as well as two in each corner of her mouth. Specialists warn that such interventions are risky, especially when the substances are counterfeit or are not intended for injection.

Recently, border police officers in Calafat confiscated more than 3,000 vials of a Botox-type solution, suspected to be counterfeit. In Constanța, a woman is under criminal investigation for allegedly performing aesthetic procedures and injections without the legal right to practice.

Doctors recommend checking the qualifications of the person performing the procedure, the clinic’s authorization, and the origin of the products. A substance injected into a blood vessel can cause vascular occlusion, necrosis, or even blindness. In the case of botulinum toxin, asymmetries, drooping of the eyelid, or drooping of the eyebrow may occur.

Specialist physician Mădălina Cristea says that some patients were injected with commercial-grade silicone or with products not intended for medical use. In such cases, the reactions were severe, and correction required surgical interventions.