The rising demand for aesthetic plastic surgeries has prompted Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Dr. Charles Okwonna, to emphasize the urgent need for strict government regulation in order to address the considerable health risks and fatalities linked to unprofessional practices.
Dr. Okwonna also expressed concern regarding the widespread availability of inadequately performed skincare treatments.
Reports indicate that the cancer specialist decried the prevalence of financial incentives taking precedence over professionalism among many practitioners, contributing to heightened risks of severe medical complications.
He highlighted that the dangers associated with these procedures go beyond cancer risks, encompassing potential kidney and liver failures, as well as the transmission of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis due to unhygienic practices during treatments.
While recognizing the growing popularity of aesthetic procedures, Dr. Okwonna cautioned that the absence of proper oversight could precipitate a public health emergency due to the proliferation of unregulated practices.
He urged regulatory authorities to take prompt action to safeguard consumers from the potential adverse effects of poorly administered treatments.
In addition to advocating for the enforcement of minimum standards for equipment utilized in aesthetic procedures, the physician recommended the implementation of a post-procedure certification process to ensure ongoing health monitoring and safety for patients.
He explained, “Researchers are beginning to link skin care products to malignancies. Of course, we have known for a long time that skin cancers are caused by some of these substandard skin products.
“But also some of these blood cancers are beginning to establish links to them. So, we need to start looking at blood cancers from all kinds of procedures that are done by non-professionals.
“If this is an area that could be regulated, the government should make sure that professionals are the ones who do it. There are minimum standards for the instruments that are used, and also there are health checks.
“Issues from skincare routine and products might not necessarily be cancers. They can also cause medical conditions that include kidney failure. A lot of our kidney failures are related to these things.
“They can also lead to liver failures and infectious diseases, transmittable infectious diseases like HIV and AIDS, hepatitis and all that.
“These are also another kettle of fish altogether but my recommendation is for the government to look into this.
“There seems to be a proliferation of these aesthetics. And because there’s a proliferation, nobody checkmates them and knows what they do. So, the government needs to begin to look at how best to regulate their activities before they get out of hand.”
