Cosmetic specialist calls for ban on permanent dermal fillers in Ireland

Jan. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Dermal fillers are compounds that are used cosmetically to fill in wrinkles and in the right hands can make a person look younger. Cosmetic devices are taken to mean something which is used to improve appearance and do not impart any health benefits. Most injectable wrinkle fillers have a temporary effect, because over time they are absorbed by the body. Problems often start with products made from materials that remain in the body and are not absorbed giving rise to inflammatory lesions called ‘granulomas’. These include many non-biodegradable, man-made polymers. Some like PMMA is often used in other medical devices, such as bone cement and intraocular lenses but also gets injected into the face.

Under current EU Regulation these products are classified as 'implantable devices' and not as medicines. This means they receive a CE safety mark (the same as a radio or a toy) and are not subject to the same stringent testing as in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to approve dermal fillers for medical use almost in the same manner as new pharmaceutical drugs. This means Irish patients are being used as ‘guinea pigs’ to try out these products before bringing them to America at little or no cost to the product makers who don’t even get sued when things go wrong. It unfairly falls back on the doctors insurance and he is blamed for injecting the product in the wrong way. This is akin to saying recent problems with the Toyota brand were related to the way the Franchisee salesman drove the car out of the garage for the customer. In the US, where the fillers are classed as medicine and regulated by the FDA, there are only six dermal fillers licensed for use but in the UK there are more than 160.
 

Because they are not classified in the EU as medicines, non medical personnel try to bypass this and inject these dermal fillers after only a few hours basic training.
Dr. Patrick Treacy from the Ailesbury Clinic Dublin has long sought proper European regulation in this market and has requested that permanent fillers be removed from the Irish marketplace as they are too problematic. He also wants dermal fillers reclassified as pharmaceutical products and only doctors or nurse to be allowed to inject them. He also would like to see patients group together and consider ‘class actions’ against some of these suppliers. This is the only way we will see an end of this dangerous practice.

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Ailesbury Clinics Ltd is the leading provider of advanced medical aesthetic skin care in Ireland. It was awarded Best Medical Practice in Ireland 2005.

Further details WEBSITE http://www.ailesburyclinic.ie
PHONE +3531 2692255/ 2133 Fax 2692250