NEW ORLEANS – The American Medical Association’s House of Delegates has passed a resolution urging physician organizations to push for stricter state regulation of medical spas. The vote came at the Delegates’ interim meeting, held in New Orleans.
The resolution seeks to ensure that cosmetic medical procedures have the same safeguards as do medically necessary procedures. That includes appropriate training, supervision, and oversight.
The resolution also stated that cosmetic procedures, including botulinum toxin injections, dermal filler injections, and laser and intense pulsed-light procedures, should be considered the practice of medicine.
The Medical Student Section of the House brought the resolution forward, stating that patient safety was a growing concern. The resolution also urged the AMA to increase public awareness about potential dangers presented by unregulated spas and to work to help create a formal complaint procedure for patients.