Cosmetic fillers have been linked to kidney failure in women in North Carolina who had them injected by a woman with no medical training.
According to a report published in the May 2 edition of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, three women suffered the symptoms of kidney failure after being injected in the buttocks with a silicone- and saline-based substance.
One woman was hospitalized for 10 days, another for 13 days and another for 14 days after developing symptoms such as vomiting, headaches and discoloured urine not long after their injections.
Two of the women required dialysis treatment.
While health authorities could not identify the exact filler that was used, they were able to determine that it contained silicone, which has not been previously known to cause kidney failure.
The report adds to the growing debate about the murky world of cosmetic procedures. Many people looking to enhance their appearance get lured by promises of plumper lips, smoother skin and cellulite-free legs, promises that are often made by those who do not have medical training.
In recent months, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario ruled that only licensed surgeons could call themselves surgeons. This came after a 32-year-old Toronto woman died last September while having liposuction. The procedure was performed by a family doctor who had no surgical training.
The North Carolina facility was not named in the report. However, the report said that the women had learned of the facility while perusing Internet chat rooms and were told by the woman who injected them that a physician oversees her work.
In fact, the inspection by North Carolina public health authorities, along with the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, found that the facility did not have a physician on site and did not follow standard infection-control practices.
In North Carolina, injections are considered medical procedures and so can only be done by a licensed doctor. In January, the unnamed woman who administered the injections was arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a licence.
"These findings underscore the risks posed by cosmetic injections administered by unlicensed practitioners," the report said.
