Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies and health departments announced that they were investigating injuries caused by mishandled or counterfeit Botox. These incidents happened in nine states, including Colorado and Florida, and placed a renewed focus on medical malpractice and injuries caused by cosmetic procedures. So far, 19 people are reported to have been affected.
If you’ve suffered any injury when getting Botox or any other cosmetic treatment, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free consultation with a Hollywood or Colorado accident attorney. Let’s talk about whether you may have a claim, so you can seek financial recovery that can help you pay for medical treatment, lost wages, and more.
Understanding Medical Malpractice and Cosmetic Surgery Injuries
Most people undergo cosmetic procedures to feel better and more confident. They don’t expect to suffer serious or life-threatening injury, yet each year people are injured or even killed by procedures involving fillers, surgery, and other treatments. There are a few reasons why medical malpractice and injuries are especially a concern with some cosmetic procedures:
- They can happen in non-medical settings. Some Botox and other injectables are administered in spas or even in homes. If something goes wrong, there may not be a doctor, registered nurse, or other medical professional on site to respond quickly.
- There may be more unlicensed practitioners. No-one would get knee surgery from a non-practicing and unlicensed surgeon, but many customers are willing to get cosmetic treatments from someone without a medical degree to save money. Some unlicensed practitioners offers cosmetic treatments may not have the experience and education to keep their clients safe. Some are scammers and use unsafe products to save money and enjoy more profits.
- Customers may not see cosmetic treatments as “serious.” Most patients see heart surgery as a serious procedure but might not see lip fillers in the same light. In fact, any cosmetic procedure, from a tummy tuck to a face peel, can be dangerous. You could have a serious reaction to an ingredient and if you need anesthesia, you face additional risks.
For these reasons, it’s important to exercise caution when seeking cosmetic procedures. Recognize them as a medical procedure and seek advice from a doctor or board-certified cosmetic surgeon before trying any new procedure for the first time. Instead of a non-medical setting, like a home, get your treatment at a health clinic staffed by qualified professionals who have hospital privileges.
Always vet anyone who will be performing any medical treatments on you—cosmetic or otherwise—and find out about any possible side effects. Ask your practitioner about their experience and education to find someone who is qualified for the procedure you want.
Even if you take every precaution, a medical practitioner could be negligent and cause an injury. If you seek to take legal action, you might not always have a medical negligence case, either. If someone is not a medical professional, they may not owe you the same duty of care as a surgeon or doctor. Nevertheless, you may have a claim against the facility and the professional who administered your procedure if you were injured because of recklessness.
In these cases, it’s not always clear whether you have a claim or even who the possible liable parties are. Is the medical spa to blame, for example, or is the supplier of an injectable to blame for an unsafe product? To get answers, talk to a Colorado or Florida injury attorney today. Call Flaxman Law Group at 866-352-9626 or contact us online to set up a free consultation with a Hollywood or Denver injury claims lawyer.