Jun 13, 2007 6:00 am US/Eastern
CBS 2 Undercover: Dangerous Underground Botox
Those Not Qualified Are Getting Drugs, Giving Injections
by Kirstin Cole
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Americans spent billions on Botox injections last year. Used in more than 3 million procedures, it's the most popular cosmetic treatment in the U.S. But it's also expensive and as CBS 2 HD has learned now there's an underground world of Botox where some are offering bargain procedures that could end up costing you a much higher price.
Botox is the miracle drug sought out by millions who want a smooth, youthful face. But at anywhere from $400 - $1,000 a treatment, it can be a pricey trip to this fountain of youth. And that's why bargain Botox is becoming a big business, underground.
So that's where CBS 2 HD went, with our hidden cameras.
"It's $350 for this area," explained a dentist offering to do Botox injections, as she pointed to her forehead.
"She takes credit cards, she has the machine," explained a hairdresser who was calling an aesthetician to come give our undercover producer Botox in the back of her shop.
Yet some have paid a very steep price for botched Botox. From permanent lumps and disfigurement, eyebrows in the wrong place and much worse.
"People take lives in their hands if not going for authentic Botox and trained physicians," explained Dr. Bruce Katz, a board certified dermatologist.
Katz said New York State regulations require that only medical doctors give these injections are for a patient's safety.
"If someone has a side effect, it can last for months. There is no antidote," Katz said.
CBS 2 HD went back to these illegal Botox dens in the Jackson Heights section of Queens. When we asked the hairdresser about her Botox connection, she told us, "I don't even know what you are talking about. "
And what about the dentist who offered it to us for $350? She told us she's certified by a course in Miami, but it is still illegal for her to be injecting anyone in New York.
When asked why as a dentist in the State of New York would she be giving Botox when she's not licensed to do so, she said, "I haven't done that."
The way the rules are structured right now, they are confusing, but the basics are this: Your Botox should be administered by a dermatologist, a plastic surgeon, a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant. No one else is legally allowed to give these injections.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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