Adverse Effects of Cosmetic Procedures

The incidence of adverse side effects from cosmetic procedures has not been well defined, especially in the private-practice sector. This web-based, “multipractice” study aimed to enumerate complications associated with noninvasive or minimally invasive cosmetic dermatologic procedures in real-world settings.

These authors evaluated more than 20,000 procedures employing lasers, other energy devices, injectable neurotoxins, and soft-tissue augmentation. The procedures were performed during a 13-week period by 23 dermatologists at eight private and institutional cosmetic clinical practices. Adverse events were reported by physicians and patients encouraged to self-report, in some cases responding to follow-up phone calls. Delayed adverse effec…