Jan 9, 2010 6:00 pm US/Eastern
DIY Plastic Surgery A Trend In North Texas
By Arezow Doost
DALLAS (CBS) ―
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Mansfield resident Laurie D'Alleva in a YouTube video, allegedly injecting her face with Botox.
KTVT / KTXA
Just a week into the New Year and some doctors say they're seeing a growing trend with do-it-yourself plastic surgery!
From skincare, to laser treatments, to even do-it-yourself Botox… instructions and products are available online. But doctors say while DIY procedures can be cheaper, they're also dangerous.
"I'd rather spent the money on Botox than go buy an expensive face cream," explained Joanna Laufer from Dallas to CBS station KTVT-TV. Lauer started getting Botox about a year ago. The 25-year-old recently wanted to save money and hired someone to inject her with Disport, which is a new alternative to Botox.
"I let someone, that was not qualified, come into my home and do it and that was a big mistake," said Laufer. Within just a few days she says she felt the side effects in her forehead. "I noticed, after it kicked in after four days, that my expression was a little bit different."
Plastic surgeons say they've noticed more and more women buying their own injectable filler material and then injecting themselves. Often times it can be much cheaper to buy the filler material online.
"I think it's a very worrisome trend. These tools are not toys," explains Dr. Bill Johnson, with Innovations MedSpa in Dallas. "It's just not a good idea to do it yourself."
According to Dr. Johnson, taking the DIY route can not only be harmful but in some cases deadly. "The thing you're going to really see, with people doing their own Botox, you're gonna see a lot of uneven eyebrows and you're gonna see a lot of what we call ptosis, where the eyelids drop." Dr. Johnson has even talked some clients out of doing their own Botox.
Manousha Khairkhah wanted to have a Botox party before the holidays. "We thought it was the holidays. With the holiday parties and everything it was like a little Christmas gift to ourselves, because it is expensive," she said.
In November 2009 a Mansfield woman was busted for selling do it yourself Botox injection kits over the internet. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says Laurie D'Alleva sold several prescription drugs online from her businesses, Ontario MedSpa and Discount MedSpa. Abbott says D'Alleva doesn't have a license to sell or distribute prescription products, which is required in Texas.
D'Alleva also
apparently produced "how-to" videos showing herself injecting her own face with syringes
Many women, like Laufer, say they've learned their lesson and hope others don't make the same mistake. "From now on I'm only going to let a plastic surgeon perform Botox on me," says Laufer.
Only licensed doctors can legally purchase safe injectables. The doctor can make sure the right amount of Botox is injected and that the fillers go in the right places.
One Botox treatment usually runs about $200.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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