Question: There is a nurse injector who does fillers on the women in my gated community. Many of the women here use her. She is very cheap so I’m really tempted to use her. Why would one bother to pay higher prices at a plastic surgeon’s office for fillers or Botox when you can get them for much cheaper in the convenience of your own home?
Answer by Dr. Anita Mandal: While, on the surface, it may be enticing to have this nurse do your injectable treatments at home for a much lower price, there are several important considerations.
- In the state of Florida, you are not licensed to inject botox or fillers if you have a nursing degree. One must either be a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.
- Even as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, you must have a licensed doctor listed as your medical director to oversee your treatments.
- In order for any provider to perform aesthetic injections, they must register the location where they are performing treatment with the board of medicine. In other words, a medical provider cannot perform injections in your home unless your address is registered and approved by the medical board.
- Beware of low prices which can be very misleading. When you are offered a significantly cheaper price for Botox or fillers, one must always question where the injector is getting their products from. There is a huge black market for injectables that are not FDA approved in the U.S. These “copycat” injectables may contain impurities or toxins and may be at concentrations not safe for human use.
- Pharmaceutical companies that carry FDA approved products cannot ship products to nurse practitioners or physician assistants who don’t meet requirements 1 through 3. It is important to question where this nurse injector is getting their product from.
- Many legitimate pharmaceutical companies require completion of training in order to receive certification to use their products.
These are only some of the many questions to ask your nurse injector who is performing treatments at people’s homes. Although cheap prices and convenience are very appealing, safety and quality should be the first priority. High quality rarely comes with the lowest price.
Dr. Mandal’s philosophy is to reverse the signs of aging without making you look different, unnatural or distorted. She believes that after a cosmetic procedure, a patient should appear rested, refreshed, more youthful but also look as they are simply aging beautifully without obvious signs that a cosmetic procedure has been performed.
Dr. Anita Mandal is a Double Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon who specializes in facial rejuvenation, facial cosmetic surgery and non-invasive body contouring. Having a “boutique” practice, she performs all of her own treatments in her office surgical and laser suites. Dr. Mandal’s expertise lies in giving natural results using the latest, most advanced techniques. Book online at www.mandalplasticsurgery.com
