Recently it has came to our attention that a non-healthcare professional duped a distribution pharmacy into providing her with free training of a reputable brand of facial fillers, after she blatantly lied about her credentials and qualifications.
Santa Jodka, a nail technician, residing in Ireland, travelled to Latvia in May to an event called Mesoderma, whilst there, she conned the event hosts into believing she was a healthcare professional, and persuaded a distribution pharmacy dispensing aesthetic medical products, to teach her in the administration of filler products manufactured by a company called Teoxane, commonly used for cosmetic injectable treatments of the face.
Once trained, she bragged her coup on social media by proudly displaying a certificate of training, causing uproar in the medical aesthetic community, namely within Facebook Groups such as ‘Keep Medical Aesthetics Medical’ administrated by aesthetic medical professionals, and campaigners such as Dr. Dan Dhunna, who questioned ‘why a well known and reputed brand such as Teoxane UK, would train a non healthcare professional?’
With a strong feeling that the story was partially told, Safety in Beauty investigated the matter and found that Teoxane UK was indirectly connected to this incident without any knowledge, and that the training of non healthcare professionals was deeply condemned by the UK based company.
A Teoxane spokesperson commented:
“Teoxane believe that facial injection treatments should only be administered by trained and qualified healthcare professionals.
In addition, we aspire to deliver world class Medical Education events for these practitioners to the highest standards.
That said, it has come to our attention that a non-healthcare professional within the UK has received training outside of the UK by a third party company. This does not adhere to our processes and Teoxane continue to investigate this matter, we take these matters very seriously.
I took an interest in sharing this story as I had the opportunity to work with Teoxane UK in recent times on a public safety campaign and found the company above and beyond commendable in their commitment to consumer safety, so naturally my ears and eyes pricked open at what was concluded as unfounded condemnation.
Safety in Beauty feel that if the whole story is not told, credible and safe brands such as the one in question can sometimes be brought into disrepute and question. Whilst we remain a consumer facing campaign, we also feel that it is a great injustice to some brands, to be at the core of a unscrupulous decision made by a rogue minority of individuals, such individuals are those that clearly place financial greed at the core of their objectives, and it these very individuals that make up the large volume of complaints received daily within our campaign.
We have issued this article to highlight where the chain of responsibility should fall upon, and in a nutshell, and my opinion, as the founder of this campaign, responsibility should be apportioned solely with the person that lies, simple as that.
When one person can bring a brand into disrepute with their actions, we have to question that person, and that person alone.
This once again serves the public with a great lesson, and that is to diligently ensure you ask a practioner about their qualifications, skills, training, experience and insurance.
Framed certificates on a beauty salon wall, certainly do not guarantee safety. The lady in this photograph is no more qualified than my 12 year old daughter to carry out serious invasive treatments, but more importantly, to deal with a complication, should it likely occur. That’s the shocking reality of cosmetic cowboys and cowgirls, they have no real conscious to ever ask themselves, what the potential long term risk of such naive financial greed, could wreak upon a innocent human being.
Safety in Beauty urges people interested in these procedures to always do their homework and check the injector is a qualified healthcare professional. Ask your practitioner, how will they will deal with a serious complication, should one happen, and if you find the practitioner failing to respond that with great confidence, experience and reassurance. Please walk away.
