Illegal filler treatments widely offered on social media

A large number of people who offer filler treatments on social media are not BIG-registered doctors and are, therefore, providing the treatments illegally, Pointer reported based on its own research. It mainly involves beauticians, but there are also a few hairdressers and tattoo artists who offer such treatments illegally, according to the program.

In the Netherlands, you have to be a BIG-registered doctor to provide filler treatments like Botox. Pointer examined 90 accounts that offer such treatments on social media. Nineteen of them have no BIG-registered doctors on staff to administer the filler injections.

For another 17 providers, Pointer could not determine who actually administers the treatments - they had a BIG-registered doctor on staff, but it was unclear whether the doctor was the treatment provider.

At 47 of the 90 providers, a BIG-registered doctor appeared to be involved in the treatment. Seven told Pointer that they no longer offer filler treatments.

Getting fillers from an untrained provider entails risks, Catharina Meijer, a cosmetic doctor and chair of the Dutch Association of Cosmetic Medicine (KNMG), told Pointer. “They don’t know the anatomy, they have little knowledge of the filler products, and they don’t know what to do if complications arise.”

The Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate, which is responsible for supervising beauty salons, told Pointer that it is very challenging to track down every illegal filler provider. “There are so many salons. They are often not even salons, it is often done via social media. They are individuals without registration with the Chamber of Commerce. That makes it difficult for us to monitor.”

The Association of Beauticians (ANBOS) has also been trying for years to stop beauticians from offering filler treatments. But it is challenging to reach illegal providers, ANBOS chairman Jantine van ‘t Klooster told the program. “Our limitation is that we mainly have reach within our members,” she said. According to her, many illegal providers are unlicensed beauticians unaffiliated with ANBOS. “They just do whatever.”