The Use of One Soft Tissue Augmentation Product in Place of Another: Repercussions of Product Substitution in the Aesthetic Market
With the arrival of new injectable soft tissue augmentation products, there is typically a surge of interest by both physicians and patients. This has been the case with Restylane® and other cosmetic injectable products. However, unethical physicians and other injectors may not use the product that they present to patients. Typically, this type of bait-and-switch behavior is motivated by greed. Since there is no oversight or governing body to regulate the training or product use by injectors, patients are left to their own devices when receiving cosmetic care. This article documents an instance in which a patient was told that she would receive one product, paid for that product, but was actually treated with a different product. She only learned of this switch when she presented to another physician complaining that Restylane, the product she was told she was treated with, did not work. Physicians and patients should be made aware of the potential for abuse with product substitution. In this instance, the only damage was the patient’s wasted time and money involved in the treatment. However, the potential for harm also exists, and this constitutes a much more serious risk.