Essay for Comp 2

Macey Howard

Cheryl Anderson

Composition II

April 9, 2021

Thesis: Recently, there has been an increased risk of legal actions against estheticians due to cosmetic procedures performed by non-physician personnel, with slightly more training estheticians would be authorized to do such procedures.

Annotated Bibliography

Jalian, H. Ray, Chris A. Jalian, and Mathew M. Avram. "Increased risk of litigation associated with laser surgery by non-physician operators." JAMA dermatology 150.4 (2014): 407-411. The authors researched the controversy surrounding the role of non-estheticians in performing laser surgery and the increased possibility of injury connected to the practice. The authors identified several cases of medical liability complaints resulting from the cutaneous laser surgery mostly carried out by non-estheticians operators. The authors make a connection between the number of lawsuits filed by clients concerning injuries from laser surgery and the number of surgeries performed by the non-physician operators (NPOs). They suggest that the recent increase in the number of lawsuits from laser surgery injuries can be curbed by physicians and other operators being aware of the state laws where they practice.

Svider et al. "Unattractive consequences: litigation from facial dermabrasion and chemical peels." Aesthetic surgery journal 34.8 (2014): 1244-1249. Svider et al. analyze the lawsuits filed by clients in connection to their dissatisfaction with facial dermabrasion and chemical peel services offered by their estheticians. The authors argue that although these procedures are usually common and safe, they do have inherent risks. Svider et al. note that lawsuits involving physicians performing these procedures are on the rise due to complications associated with the procedures. The authors recommend that physicians need to document the potential complications from these procedures before treatment for the patients to make an informed consent decision to avoid litigation. Physicians also need to understand that they risk liability for any procedure performed by non-physician staff.

Huang et al. "Ocular injury in cosmetic laser treatments of the face." The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology 11.2 (2018): 15. Huang et al. conducted a review to determine the major causes of ocular injuries on patients during cosmetic laser procedures. The authors make a connection between ocular injuries and the rising number of litigation due to the cutaneous laser procedures. The authors discovered that ocular injuries during these procedures are mostly a result of physicians removing or not using ocular protection devices when performing these procedures. They recommended that the use of ocular protection devices is essential in the prevention of future litigations due to ocular injuries from cosmetic laser surgeries.

Rossi et al. "Nonphysician practice of cosmetic dermatology: A patient and physician perspective of outcomes and adverse events." Dermatologic Surgery 45.4 (2019): 588-597. Today, non-physicians who have limited knowledge of cosmetic procedures, have expanded their practice into specialty medicine. This is in an effort to meet the increased demand for cosmetic procedures that are growing in the United States. Rossi et al. claim that this has resulted in adverse events and outcomes such as injuries leading to increased litigations among esthetics practices. The authors argued that patients treated by non-physicians usually experience burns as well as discoloration when compared to those treated by estheticians. This has led to an increased number of lawsuits by the patients claiming that the procedures resulted in adverse results that endangered their health safety. The authors recommend that physicians should ensure oversight of these procedures as well as the training of non-physicians to promote and guarantee patient safety.

Cypen, S. G., N. Langelier, and J. A. Woodward. "Transparency of Medical Spas in North Carolina." J Community Med Health Care 3.2 (2018): 1027. The authors discuss the growing concerns of the devastating complications from medical health spas due to laser procedures and other injectable products. These complications have led to adverse effects on the patients such as skin necrosis, scarring infection, vision loss, and even death in some cases. The surge in these complications has led to the surge in the number of lawsuits against these medical spas. The authors argue that it is the responsibility of the estheticians to actively address the problem of expanding the business of medical spas to ensure patient safety and avoid litigations. Although the study was only carried out in the state of Florida, the authors suggest that there is a need for future studies on this topic to increase the areas of study to make sure it covers larger areas for better results.