If you’re tempted by all those online spa treatment offers, but worried about safety, read on: Leading spa consultant and Repechage CEO Lydia Sarfati has some tips on what to watch out for when buying a cosmetic treatment online.
Ask the hard questions:
Make sure it’s sterile: “The spa should be clean and sanitized,” Sarfati adds. “If they don’t have autoclave machines [devices used to sterilize equipment] in each treatment room, chances are they aren’t sterilizing properly. As double dipping is always a risk, make sure your spa provides uni-dose facial treatments that are opened just for you and thrown away after your treatment. Unsani-tary spas and salons are a breeding ground for fungus, bacteria, herpes, athlete’s foot, warts, swine flu, MRSA and other diseases.”
Safer Botox
New York dermatologist Dr. Ariel Ostad has some important tips to make sure your next Botox treatment doesn’t make you frown.
- Make sure the spa is using real Botox from the health care company Allergan.
- The person performing your Botox should be an
experienced medical doctor. “An M.D. can deal with any complications and
is better trained in facial anatomy than a P.A. or R.N.,” Dr. Ostad
says. - Get a consultation before any treatment “so there is a mutual
understanding on where and what will be injected, how much will be used,
the risks and side effects, what results to expect and post-procedure
care.” - Make sure they are following proper sanitation standards,
including “working on sanitized surfaces, washing their hands, using
fresh needles, cleansing the skin with alcohol before the injection and
wearing gloves.”
