Nurse or doctor for Botox?

[cathy_z]

Hi guys.

I've always had my botox done by my dermatologist. His fantastic and I really like his down-to-earth business like demeanor.

He's skillful but he isn't cheap.

I've got some friends who get their botox from a nurse injector. She's quite a bit cheaper than Dr Goodman.

I'ld like to know how people have found their skill levels and results? is it worth the saving in money? Do they get equally good results?

[jomol31]

I don't know Cathy,

A lot of people who I know are injected by nurses are at a clinic "overseen" by doctors anyway. They pay pretty much the same as myself and I go to a specialist.

I've always thought those friends got a bad deal. They pay the same as me ($20 a unit) and I see a specialist.

I think its a bit bad when they pay the bucks for a big doctors name but the actual technical work of injecting and deciding what to botox is done by a nurse injector with basically no supervision from the specialist.

All just IMHO of course.

[mrgym]

20 bucks a unit for a nurse to do it????!!!!!


I'ld be wanting the professor himself to do it at that sort of price

[mrgym]

Sorry double post.

but to answer the forum topic.

My sister had her's done by a nurse at a $12 a unit place. She didn't say much but I did notice her going back to her Doctor from then on.

[nadine]

Why did she stop seeing the nurse Nadine? I had mine done by a registered nurse and she was really great and most importantly had the time to explain everything to me.

I've been burnt on multiple occassions by the 5 minute $150 "specialist consultation."

[doctornev]

Hi Cathy_Z,

This will be a slightly longer and more formal answer than usual to your question since its a topic that is both topical and interesting. It is further complicated by the fact that as a Doctor my opinion on whether nurses or doctors can inject is hardly an unbiased one. I will try to stick closely to the facts and clearly mark what is my opinion.

The Facts:

1. Many nurse injectors are highly skilled technically - in both an dexterity and artistic sense - and are fully capable of using both fillers and botox with a high degree of skill.

2. By law a nurse injector is not allowed to buy the cosmetic pharmaceutical agents. They must be bought under a doctors name. The nurse might pay, store and use the Botox but the account name is in the name of a Doctor.

3. Likewise ultimate responsibility, in a legal sense, for the outcome, good or bad, lies with the Doctor under whom the product (Botox) was originally bought - for the use of the nurse injector. Ultimately the nurse is not responsible. They are merely doing the work under a Doctors name.

In simple turns. Nurses are fully capable of doing good Botox and Cosmetic injectors. But if something goes wrong you will be taking action against the Doctor not the nurse. In some rare cases you might take action against both nurse and doctor.



Supporting Evidence.

1. Many "celebrity doctors" (and I do hate that term I think it compromises the integrity of the patient-doctor relationship) have a large number of nurses working under them who do a lot of cosmetic injecting. They are highly skilled and their patients in general get outstanding results. However, when a "star client" presents it is most certainly the Doctor who is doing the injecting, not the employed nurses. Madonna certainly gets her Botox done by the hotshot Dermatologist - not by one of his employed nurses.


My Opinion:

1. I think this above attitude implies something about the Doctor's internal thinking which presumably goes something like this:

"my nurses do a great job but if its an important client I am going to do her myself, personally"

Once again I think this comes back to the responsibility the doctor feels torwards their patients. If, for example, Madonna is so important a person that the "very important doctor" would want to do her Botox personally shouldn't ALL of his patients be equally important?


2. For me personally I know I am the one guaranteeing the work will be done with skill and care. Medicine isn't like subcontracting out work to a new builder. By law the Doctor-Patient relationship is deeper and more demanding. In this situation I believe it is only ethical that the Doctor taking responsibility for the treatment is the person who is actually performing the treatment.



I hope this helps. Many Doctors share my opinion and I should point out that a lot disagree with it vehemently. But I have answered this question in good faith and with an even handed appreciation of the legal and factual cicrumstances surrounding both nurse and Doctor injectors.

[aaron]

Thanks doctornev.

So what you're saying is getting botox by a nurse is like buying a double A grade fake Callaway golf club in China. Its made by the same workers, from the same materials, in the same factory but doesn't have the warranty of a "real Callaway driver?"

[Heather.mayes]

Hi everyone this is an interesting topic.

But here in Texas its illegal for nurses to do botox, restylane or any sort of cosmetic medical work. I can't speak for certain about every other state but I'm pretty sure this is a USA wide law.


Can nurses really go out and inject botox in australia?

[claudia]

Thanks doctornev.

So what you're saying is getting botox by a nurse is like buying a double A grade fake Callaway golf club in China. Its made by the same workers, from the same materials, in the same factory but doesn't have the warranty of a "real Callaway driver?"


That's exactly what he's not saying aaron. The whole point was cosmetic medical work requires a level of trust and care that goes well beyond what a salesperson owes you when he sells a car or set of golf clubs.

You are after all putting your health and well being in their hands and that is one of the few things that cannot be quantified with money

[mrgym]

Why did she stop seeing the nurse Nadine? I had mine done by a registered nurse and she was really great and most importantly had the time to explain everything to me.

I've been burnt on multiple occassions by the 5 minute $150 "specialist consultation."


Hi Nadine I asked my sis about why she didn't like the nurse injector. She said the main solid thing she can put her finger on was that the botox only worked 2 months so she thinks she was underdosed.

She also mentioned the whole consultation just seemed less formal and the nurse didn't seem as sure of her answers.

[botox_queen]

I've also found in australia that nurses can't do the lower face. I've been getting my frown and crow's done at a plastics surgery clinic for years - but recently its changed and most of the time a nurse injector does the actual injection.

But when I asked about getting the mouth and some smile lines done it had to be done by the Doctor.

I guess this is fairly convincing evidence the doctor has more skill. I'm not really happy for my next visit I've asked if the Doctor can do the actual injection

[nadine]

This is all quite interesting to me. I've always just trusted my injector, doctor or nurse, if they took the time to talk to me and didn't make me feel like a conveyer belt mass production "customer."

I might ask my nurse which Doctor she is technically "working under" though. She never told me about needing to purchase her Botox underneath a doctor's name.

[jomol31]

This is all quite interesting to me. I've always just trusted my injector, doctor or nurse, if they took the time to talk to me and didn't make me feel like a conveyer belt mass production "customer."

I might ask my nurse which Doctor she is technically "working under" though. She never told me about needing to purchase her Botox underneath a doctor's name.


Sounds like a bad setup to me Nadine. Why wouldn't she tell you from the start? Just out of interest how much do you pay? Its just that I know a lot of people could be getting it done by a doctor for the prices they are charged.

[Emily]

For the other things discussed in this forum (lipodissolve, laser hair removal, retylane) does any of that stuff have to be done by a doctor or can it be done by other people?


Until reading this forum I thought it all had to be done by a doctor

[bigbadjohn]

Laser hair removal can definitely be done by anyone who has done a "laser course" its almost completely unregulated but the rumour on the forum is Victoria is thinking of introducing some legislation to regulate the whole multi-million dollar industry.

[marakesh]

Well I've got the responses to a question I just asked about Dr v's Nurse injectors. I should have read a few more threads before posting.

[jomol31]

Oops.

I see you've already found the thread.

Just ignore my reply in the other thread.

[marakesh]

hahaha no worries Jomol31.

Thing is, I've rung several places in Perth and each has been the same. The Dr does the initial consult but the nurse does the injecting. Mind you I've only called PS's with websites. Haven't even started with cometic surgeons yet. If anyone is happy to recommend a Dr in Perth will you please pm me?

[cathy_z]

You could try looking up dermatologists.

I get my botox done by a dermatologist and he does the injecting himself.

I found my dermatologist through the royal college of dermatology website. It has a referral system for qualified dermatologists close by.


Someone posted a link for it recently

[claudia]

Hi Marakesh.


I can't help you with a personal recommendation for doctors doing botox in perth.


But you could always check out www.wrinkles.com.au


It has a finder function that will show you all teh doctors in the region who have completed botox training