Are Med Spas Safe?
What to look for in a safe med spa
Let's discuss safety. Are medical spas safe places to receive aesthetic medical care?
A lot has been said in the news recently about disastrous patient outcomes from medical spa treatments, from permanent complications to death, and even the late-night pundit, John Oliver recently spent an episode discussing med spas, and the upshot was very negative. Maybe you've read some of this scary press... so how can you know you'll be safe at a med spa?
Unfortunately, the quality and safety of medical aesthetic practices really varies. The most important thing to do is to make sure you've vetted your exact provider. Any internet search will yield the Department of Consumer Affairs website where you can search their name and verify credentials, whether they're RN, NP, PA or MD/DO. Make sure they're an RN or higher.
The injector's training and experience in medical aesthetics is a bit harder to discover, as (surprisingly) there is no national standard for certification of injectors. It's best to ask your provider about their training and experience before your appointment. Additionally all med spas in California as of 2025 must be medically directed by an MD or DO.
Most all of the practices involved in scandalous negative press don't have any actual licensed providers in them. It is possible for non-medical folks to obtain fake pharmaceuticals via ordering over the internet and offer (cheap!) treatments. This is why you should always vet your injector and verify they have a medical director (in CA).
Extremely cheap injectables are also a red flag for safety. It's really easy for anyone to obtain fake botox, filler and other injectable "medications" over the internet on websites like Alibaba and probably many others. Maybe those medications even work just like they're supposed to, but the fact is that if you receive them, there's no way to verify what they actually are and what they'll actually do to your body. It's illegal in the US to buy and inject medications that aren't approved by the FDA. People who inject fake products are committing a crime. This is why we don't get involved with cheap counterfeit stuff, it's not worth our licenses or our patient's safety.
The biggest safety precaution we take at Skinbeam Aesthetics - besides having (too many) licenses & certifications is having a working knowledge of facial anatomy obtained via quality training. Additionally we have a safety kit and protocol ready as well as a fridge full of dissolving agent for filler, God forbid we get some into an artery. Having plenty of dissolver on hand is a basic precaution every med spa should have.
Rest assured you'll get safe, quality care at Skinbeam Aesthetics from our Medical Director, Dr. Chris Vercammen, MD to Advanced Practice Nurse Injector, Jaine Chapman CRNA, FNP-C and Registered Nurse Injector, Claire Vercammen, BSN, RN.
