Aesthetic Medicine and Aesthetic Practioner

What is Aesthetic Medicine? 

Aesthetic medicine is a branch of medicine focused on satisfying the aesthetic desires and goals of patients. This specialty is primarily focused on the pathophysiology of aging skin, and adheres to scientific based procedures. In another words, I would say aesthetic medicine is about helping the patients to achieve their best outlook and body shape that may boost their self confidence and self-esteem in the effective way, evidence-based and most importantly it is safe to their health.

Doctors practicing Aesthetic Medicine are trained in both invasive and non-invasive treatment modalities, and typically utilize a combination to meet the needs of the patient. So, it is obvious that Aesthetic Medicine practitioners are only for doctors and it is not for beauticians!  

What are the different between an Aesthetic Practitioner and a Beautician? 

Many people think a doctors who is practicing aesthetics has become a beautician and a beautician practice is the same with aesthetic practice. In fact they are different like the sky and the earth! 

Unlike beauticians, aesthetic physicians being a doctor, they obviously have far better knowledge of the skin from anatomy to pathophysiology and it functions and how it responds to various treatment modalities and scientific equipments and they are aware of the complications that might arise from the procedures that they may take anticipatory measures to prevent the complications or at least they can inform the patient first before they decide to undertake the procedure. Aesthetic physician takes full responsibility to explain to the patients what procedure is suitable and what is not suitable for the patient's skin knowing the patient's medical background and they also in a position to treat the complication if it arises. The aesthetic doctor also has basic knowledge to understand the science behind scientific equipments like lights and laser and the products which are beyond the comprehension of the beauticians that they may apply safety precautions and recommend to the patient who has the right indications for that particular equipment or products. So, in another word, the patient is in a safe hand of the adequately trained person to make sure the patients achieve what they desire without compromising their health. 

The law that regulate beauty practitioners are very vague and poorly implemented that there are many errant beauticians out there are crossing the line from their scope of practice. Beautician practices are supposedly to confine within beauty products and doing some minor skin procedure up to epidermis level of the skin, not more than 1 mm depth.  Yet, many are daring enough to give injections and using highly scientific equipments like laser that can be dangerous and are meant only for doctors. That is why almost all the complications and complaints of aesthetic malpractice that were reported and filed to Consumer Tribunal are from the errant beauticians!

When I gave a medical aesthetic talk recently, one of the participant asked me whether they can sue the doctor when there is complication or if the expected result is not achieved? My response to her question was that the doctors are doing what are within their scope of practice  and knowledge; she should sue the errant beauticians instead for doing what they are not qualified to do, for placing the patient at risk of danger, for misleading information and over promise of the result in order to sell the beauty products. However, there are also many doctors nowadays who fail to adhere to profesionalism and code of ethics that they are willing to be hired by the beauticians to do some aesthetic procedure without taking responsibility.  We also know there are many beauty centres that engage foreign doctors from Korea, China and Taiwan illegally to do aesthetic procedures and surgery to their clients in their poorly equipped centre or in the hotel. 

The patients or the clients who are seeking for beauty, most of them however are high risk takers.  People are willing to take whatever risk and spend lots of money just for beauty and satisfaction.  That is the reason why they undertake the procedure secretly so that when something goes wrong, nobody is pointing finger back at their risk taking behaviour or if everything is turned out to be perfect, they're enjoying the comments and wanders from their friends who are not aware that they have done something to their face. Many people are shy to let others know that they have gone for a beauty procedure.

Time has come that people should no longer feel shy to seek for beauty or aesthetic procedure.  There is nothing wrong wanting to look perfect and beautiful, slim and sexy, or looking younger and attractive as long as we don't put our health at risk that we make an informed choice instead of doing it blindly.  It is among the options that are available to the modern society to combat sign of aging from the environmental insults and ageing process.