The Risks of At-Home Cosmetic Treatments

Do-it-Yourself (DIY) cosmetic procedures are becoming more and more popular as the years go by. Many people are opting to try these procedures due to lower costs, COVID protocols, and high hopes that they will work as advertised. At best, the majority of these DIY procedures don’t work. At worst, they will put your health and safety at risk. In fact, the risks of DIY versions of cosmetic treatments are very high.

At Home Treatments and Risks

There are a wide range of DIY cosmetic procedures on the market. On the simple (and generally safe) end of the spectrum, there are facial creams and other wrinkle-removers available over-the-counter, but they only offer a temporary solution and need to be reapplied once you wash your face.

Then there are DIY home Botox kits, which are not only dangerous, but illegal. A knowledge of human anatomy is required to perform Botox injections, since hitting the wrong nerve or artery could result in a life-threatening situation. Outside of a medical environment, you face the risk of infection, pain, scarring, swelling, and worse.

Finally there are at-home intense pulsed light (IPL) hair removal devices, which put you at risk for severe burns, hyperpigmentation, and scarring. Only qualified dermal or laser therapists can determine the appropriate and safe levels of light for effective hair removal results. Proper IPL devices require regular servicing for effective energy variations. At-home versions do not guarantee this service, putting you and your skin at the risk of a dangerous malfunction. Further, most at-home IPL devices are unable to deliver the proper amount of heat required to destroy the hair follicle permanently and cannot keep up with the advances in technology in terms of efficacy and speed.

One of the main reasons people seek out these DIY methods is to save money. Another reason is to save time. From facial creams and makeup to Botox and hair removal, we want to keep up with our own beauty regimens in a timely manner. This is great when your friend cuts your hair, but not so much when you’re entrusting your life to them as they inject your face with fillers. In fact, when you compare visiting a qualified clinic such as Calvine Medical Aesthetics to a DIY treatment, you will find that it will actually take longer, be less convenient, and potentially cause irreversible damage to try and do-it-yourself.

While we all want to have access to beauty treatments that cost less and save us time, it is not recommended to use at-home devices or machines as a replacement for medical aesthetic treatments, as it can be dangerous and harmful. These kinds of products and services should only be administered by licensed medical professionals, like the doctors and estheticians at Calvine Medical Aesthetics. You should also be wary of purchasing medical devices over the internet. Although their low costs can be attractive, almost none of them have received proper FDA approval.

If you would like more information on safe, effective cosmetic treatments, contact Calvine Medical Aesthetics today to schedule a consultation!