Now most of us are young enough not to worry yet about the wrinkles on our face, but there are a great deal of Americans who do think about things like this. I just read an article on the hidden dangers of using these "facial fillers", which is different than botox. These facial fillers are said to be equivalent to Spackle (which is the paste they fill in holes with in drywall, maybe you have seen it if you live in Lammers hall) except they inject it into your face. Apparently it just fills in the wrinkles somehow.
Last year alone in the U.S. there were 1.5 million cosmetic surgery procedures done for this filler procedure. The problem is that people are using it in a manner that it was not designed for. People are also using it to plump us their cheeks, lips, and breasts. The issue with the fillers is that the product labeling is extremely vague and doesn't really tell people what the risks are. The FDA wants to include on the label that it can cause "long lasting reactions such as bumps under the skin, blotches, and scars." Personally if I was going to get this procedure done I would definitely want to know these risks. But on the other hand I don't think I am vain enough to care if I develop some crows feet.
The FDA has had 823 patients who have had a serious reaction to the filler between 2003 and now. 638 of these people had a serious enough problem that they had to go back in for another surgery to fix it. I just cant see why this is worth it for people, most people are trying to avoid surgery at all costs. Perhaps if the FDA gets what they want on the label then less people will opt to have it done. The bottom line is that legally people need to be informed of the consequences their choices will have on them.
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-health/20081119/MED.Face.Fillers/
