FDA bans skin-whitening glutathione treatments; warns consumers to look out for substandard materials
One of these risky procedures is the glutathione injection. The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) yesterday ordered cosmetic clinics across the nation to not use this chemical as part of skin-whitening treatments.
Cosmetic clinics were also ordered to stop advertising this procedure because it had failed to get FDA approval.
The move came after the FDA and Consumer Protection Suppression Division caught 24-year-old Varuth Makroodthong on Tuesday illegally selling vials of glutathione and providing injections inside his car parked at the Tops Supermarket's Kasetsart University branch.
FDA secretary-general Dr Pipat Yingseri said providing unofficial glutathione injections is prohibited, adding that there was no scientific research to prove that injecting this substance could make the body produce less melanin.
Glutathione is commonly used to treat liver cancer and liver inflammation. Misuse of the substance can have adverse side-effects such as liver damage, acutely low blood pressure and even death.
Glutathione is usually illegally imported from Switzerland and Japan, and last year the FDA arrested smugglers bringing more than 10,000 vials of the substance into the Kingdom.
The FDA has also banned the application of Growth Factor - an extract of skin-enhancing substances from human blood that is injected into the skin to get rid of wrinkles.
Director general of the Department of Health Service Support, Dr Nara Nakwattananukul, said his agency would conduct random inspections of 160 cosmetic clinics in Bangkok and if any are found illegally providing beauty treatments, they will be prosecuted immediately.
Noppadon Noppakun, chairman of the Dermatological Society of Thailand, also warned people to beware of clinics using substandard materials and uncertified methods in beauty treatments and longevity enhancement.
For example, he said, even though botox injections were deemed safe, they could still be risky if applied by unqualified people.
"Eyelids can end up drooping or the lips can get disfigured, as we have heard about in some celebrity cases, because the fillers are injected into the wrong locations or in excessive amounts," Noppadon said.
Laser treatments can also be risky because the skin can be burned or scarred if the laser beams applied are too strong.
"Laser equipment is safe and certified by FDA, but it also depends on the doctor operating the machines," he added.
Another risky beauty enhancement item is the "Big Eye" contact lens used by teenage girls to make their eyes look larger and luminous. However, these contact lenses are made from substandard materials and wearing them for long periods without cleaning them properly can injure the eyes or even cause blindness.
A university freshman, Saranya Sriburi, said she had bought cosmetic lens from a proper optician because she believed they would be safer than the ones sold in markets. However, she said, her eyes were starting to feel sore recently and she did not know why.
Saranya also wears fake eyelashes when she goes out, and though they have not caused her any injuries, she says "it hurts a bit when I remove them because the adhesive is very sticky".
