2024-01-10 05:00:00
Doctors’ enthusiasm for aesthetic treatments has quintupled over the past three years in Quebec, a rapidly growing practice which generates more medical complications and raises concerns for patient safety.
“We find ourselves managing complications that are not ours […] [car] “poor patients are unfortunately getting treatments done by people who lack skills in the field,” laments Dr. Geneviève Blackburn, who has been practicing in the field of aesthetic care for 15 years.
In 2023, 100 Quebec doctors will have completed advanced training to be able to offer aesthetic medicine care (injections, laser, plasma treatments), show data from the College of Physicians of Quebec (CMQ) obtained by The newspaper. This is five times more than in 2020.
Doctors who have completed training in aesthetics
2023: 100
2022: 70
2021: 55
2020: 18
Total: 223
Source: CMQ, 2023
Aesthetic treatments have been in high demand in Quebec for several years and this practice can be very profitable for doctors. The vast majority of doctors attracted to this field are general practitioners, but all sorts of other specialists have also made the jump.
Specialty of doctors trained in aesthetics
General practitioners: 170 Anesthesiologists: 6 Dermatologists: 6 Obstetricians/gynecologists: 6 Neurosurgeons: 6 Internists: 5 Otolaryngologists: 4
Source: CMQ, 2023
No antidote on site
However, this enthusiasm worries the group of medical experts on this subject, who note a recent increase in complications (no data was however available). Among the problems raised, we note lack of knowledge and poor management of complications.
An example: a filler injection that hits an artery or vein can cause skin necrosis if not treated quickly. However, many patients are not diagnosed and go home.
“There are clinical signs that we must recognize on the skin. There is a potential risk that all upstream tissues will be damaged. It can range from a skin infection to tissue death,” says Dr. Blackburn.
Some clinics do not even have the antidote on site to treat the patient.
Furthermore, the group of experts notes an increase in nurses or practical nurses who ask a doctor to only sign an injection authorization (individual prescription) without follow-up. However, the doctor should be available on site following any injection, it is argued.
Note that the practice guide regarding aesthetic medicine was updated in 2020 by the College.
“It’s much more regulated than before, but there are still a lot of gaps,” reacts Dr. Blackburn. It’s a shame because people come to improve their self-esteem. […] The complications can be devastating.”
Aesthetics, a plan B?
Internship recognized by the CMQ, Dr. Blackburn notes that 80% of doctors who turn to aesthetic medicine are exhausted from the public network and are looking for a way out.
“The dissatisfaction with the public health system means that, unfortunately, there are a lot of people looking for plan Bs,” she worries. But it’s not a sideline, it is a medicine in its own right. You have to get into this for the right reasons.”
Contacted by The newspaper, the College says it is “very concerned” regarding the number of doctors who choose this field, in particular because it is feared that they will be less available for other health care. Although concerned regarding the reported complications, the CMQ does not intend to review the training rules, which are “of very good quality,” we write.
“Over the next year, we will monitor with particular attention the number of requests for professional development activities in aesthetic medicine,” wrote Dr. Mauril Gaudreault, president of the CMQ, by email.
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