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Beauticians carrying out medical procedures, doctors concerned
As beauty centres swarm every nook and cranny of Klang Valley, a handful of “training centres” and so-called “colleges” are offering courses to learn how to perform such procedures...
Why go to medical school and study for over 10 years when one can pay less than RM5,000 and be able to perform aesthetic medical procedures on people overnight?
As beauty centres swarm every nook and cranny of Klang Valley, a handful of “training centres” and so-called “colleges” are offering courses on how to perform such procedures.
This is despite the Health Ministry considering such aesthetic treatments like “pico” and “carbon” lasers and various injections to be medical procedures, according to its Guidelines on Aesthetic Medical Practice 2020.
Checks found that with just RM3,599 and one day of training, a person can learn how to operate “pico” and “carbon” lasers for procedures the Health Ministry says can only be administered by a credentialed medical practitioner.
Besides learning to administer laser treatments, the “academy” also provides participants with an unbranded laser machine.
These laser treatments, often marketed as a way to zap away blemishes, can cost upwards of RM100 per session and are widely marketed to be like a facial.
The centre offering the course was registered under an advertising company, according to the website of credit reporting agency CTOS.
It also offered courses on how to administer “platelet-rich plasma” injections for RM1,700, which it advertised through videos showing such injections being made into a person’s face.
A platelet-rich plasma injection involves drawing blood, extracting the plasma from the blood and re-injecting it into the face.
Both courses were taught by the same person who was not medically trained.
These courses are available despite Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad last year telling Parliament that invasive aesthetic procedures can only be carried out by a registered medical practitioner who holds a Letter of Credentialing and Privileging (LCP) of Aesthetic Medical Practice.
Dr Ruban Nathan, who once headed the Cosmetic Dermatology & Laser Medicine Board under the Dermatological Society of Malaysia, said the procedures are medical in nature, no matter what the beauty centres may say.
“The moment there’s a needle and you inject people, it’s definitely medical. There’s no way beauticians can do this.
“What if you inject into an artery, or a vein, or the wrong thing? You can’t control the bleeding? Or you damage a nerve?” he asked.
College offering ‘professional accreditation’
The one-day course was not the only one on offer. Various cheap courses like this were promoted openly on social media, including Facebook.
Similar but pricier two-to-three day courses were also offered at one institute claiming to be an “international college”, where “professional certification” can be obtained to operate lasers and injections on people.
The “international college” also went as far as offering a “professional master’s degree” in aesthetic medicine and micro-plastic surgery open to individuals without a medical background. It merely required experience in the beauty industry.
The said college is also linked to an “international association of aestheticians”, which offers professional indemnity insurance for medical malpractice, claimed to be underwritten by a Bursa-listed company.
Despite offering “professional accreditation”, the courses offered were not accredited or provisionally accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
A senior official at the Health Ministry also confirmed that the Health Ministry does not recognise the “international college” and said no such certification exists.
Unpredictable reactions to treatment
While some aestheticians may say they are trained to administer injections or laser treatments, the short courses they undertake are unlikely to equip them with the knowledge to manage complications which could arise from the procedures, said healthcare professionals.
Malaysia Registered Aesthetic Medical Practitioners Society president Dr Ungku Mohd Shahrin Ungku Mohd Zaman said the reactions to procedures can be unpredictable, and only trained doctors would be able to manage them safely.
“The fact that when you are dealing with humans, we are talking about unpredictable reactions that one has.
“So, unless they are trained, certified to manage complications – they are medical doctors to begin with – then only they can perform these procedures,” he warned.
The founder of aesthetic clinic chain Aglow Clinic, Dr Amelia Siah Siang Yee, agrees.
She said registered aesthetic doctors undertake an additional two to three years of training after mandatory government service upon graduating medical school, and pass further exams to obtain an LCP from the Health Ministry.
Ungku Shahrin added that obtaining credentials from the ministry is no walk in the park.
“The application also is not easy. If they are lucky, they’re going to be called in for their examination at the Health Ministry. If they pass there – the passing mark is very high – then only they are called in for the second part, which is the interview,” he said.
After passing the interview, only then will the Health Ministry award the doctors with a certificate to carry out aesthetic procedures, he said.
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