Whatever you call these criminals, they are changing the face of cosmetic medicine and forcing more and more doctors to require prepayment for facial rejuvenation, skin care treatments like microdermabrasion and other services.  Many are also no longer accept checks for services rendered and instead require cash or card payment for elective procedures that are not billed through insurance.

“From talking to our doctors, this is a problem that’s occurring from coast to coast,” said Jeff Karzen, spokesman for the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

Physicians in a number of U.S. cities, including Arizona, Texas, California, Nevada and Florida, as well as internationally in the UK and Australia, have reported patients who received thousands in injectable filler and wrinkle relaxing treatments, such as Restylane and Botox, only to flee the doctor’s office without paying the bill.

After their cosmetic treatments are complete, those intending to pull the old dine-and-dash, or in this case, the prick-and-run routine typically give the doctor’s office staff some sort of excuse to leave, such as needing to withdraw cash from an ATM or go out to their car to get their purse or check on a waiting child.

Check fraud is another common practice for “Beauty Bandits,” as the doctor’s office won’t find out until the crook is long gone that they’ve knowingly written a bad check for cosmetic services they don’t have the means to pay for.

Highly publicized cases like those of Jaime Merk and Maria Chrysson, two “Beatuy Bandits” who got busted by Florida law enforcement after stiffing area doctors for thousands in beauty treatments, have forced physicians to become more aware of this increasingly common criminal practice.

So, when seeking cosmetic treatment, especially for the first time with a new clinic, don’t be alarmed if you are asked to pay with cash or credit upfront.  This is simply a precautionary measure that has become necessary for doctors to prevent fraud and revenue loss.

Novabel injectable filler

One of the most exciting innovations is a unique new injectable filler product by Merz that was launched in Europe earlier this year called Novabel.

Unlike any other injectable filler product on the market today, Novabel is made from brown marine algae, a substance that purportedly makes injections smooth, easy to administer and virtually pain-free.

Novabel is composed of spherical, flexible structures called Geleons, and it is this patented Geleon technology that is supposed to make Novabel ideal for filling areas of thin facial skin, such as the lower eyelids and tear troughs.

Novabel’s Geleon technology is also supposed to cause less swelling than other injectable dermal fillers.

Endoform Dermal Template

Mesynthes, an award-winning medical research and development company based in New Zealand, recently announced the release of Endoform Dermal Template, a tissue substitute recently FDA-approved for wound care and skin reconstruction.

This new skin substitute finally offers an alternative to skin grafts, which require skin tissue to be surgically removed from one body area to graft onto another.

Unlike skin grafts, Endoform Dermal Template is not composed of donor skin but rather of extracellular matrix material, which provides a unique mix of biological macromolecules that actively promote the skin regrowth via cell regeneration and blood vessel formation.

“Fly tape” for surgical incision closure

Caddisfly larvae offer a new twist on “fly tape,” as silk spun by these insects is currently being researched by scientists at the University of Utah to eventually develop a stronger surgical tape.

This fly-inspired surgical tape would be engineered to create a sort of “wet BandAid” that closes incisions similarly to surgical sutures but offers dramatically increased adhesive bond strength that would potentially lower incidence of suture failure in patients who have had a tummy tuck or other cosmetic surgery procedure.

Owensboro cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gerald Edds stays up-to-date on the latest surgical technology and research in cosmetic medicine so that he can offer his patients the most effective cutting-edge procedures  to achieve the best aesthetic results.

While Botox is commonly used – and FDA approved – to treat wrinkles on the face and forehead, a wide range of other treatment applications have been successfully used.  Doctors have used Botox to treat hyperhidrosis, migraine headaches, and muscle spasms.

Last year, the FDA announced that Botox complications had been linked to off-label use, particularly in children treated for limb spasticity.  According to current U.S. law, doctors are permitted to administer medicine for whatever application they deem appropriate.  Doctors aren’t however, allowed to market medicine for any application they please.

The marketing restrictions on Botox have apparently hindered the pharmaceutical company’s ability to distribute safety information related to off-label use.  The lawsuit is intended to increase the physician’s ability to access safety information such as possible risks, benefits, dosing, patient selection, etc. and is in no way intended to increase sales of Botox.