Dermatologists warn against rising quackery

Nagpur: Jyoti (name changed) walked in with swelling on her face. She had darkening of skin along with burn scars. On probing further, doctors learnt she recently underwent a cosmetic procedure called chemical peeling to reduce facial pigmentation and get brighter complexion. What shocked doctors was that Jyoti was treated by her dentist for facial melanosis."Chemical peeling is a very delicate procedure requiring thorough dermatological knowledge, and expertise. Quackery reminds us how far dermatology has evolved from myth to medicine and if not addressed, it is common patient who will ultimately pay the price through misguided treatments and long-term harm," said Vidarbha Dermatological Society president Dr Asra Khumushi. City dermatologists say procedures like chemical peels, if performed without training, can lead to burns, permanent pigmentation, infections and other complications."When unqualified hands treat skin, scars tell the story. So it's need of hour to decide who will treat your skin. Your skin deserves science not shortcuts,"said Vidarbha Dermatological Society secretary Dr Priyanka Magia."Choosing right person for right job solves most of problems for skin right person is a qualified dermatologist called skin doctor not a quack," said senior dermatologist Dr Dhanraj Patel."When it comes to skin issues, always look for the qualification of your doctor," said senior dermatologist Dr Vikrant Saoji. With number of people falling prey to unqualified practitioners posing as skin specialists, Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) raised serious concerns over dermatological procedures being performed by non-dermatologists."Many aesthetic procedures such as botulinum toxin injections, dermal fillers, laser treatments and hair transplantation require proper medical training and should only be performed by qualified dermatologists," said Dr Rizwan Haq, senior vice president, IADVL Maharashtra.