The UAE Ministry of Health on Saturday warned against what it called unregistered low-quality chemicals that are being used in plastic surgeries and cosmetic procedures.

“The Ministry received warnings from international specialized scientific bodies against hazards of some plastic surgery materials that do not meet the safety and quality requirements,” Executive Director of Medical Practices and Licensing at the Ministry Dr Ameen Hussain Al Amiri.

“These materials which are of unknown origin have been proved to have side-effects.”

The MoH, he added, promptly ordered public and private hospitals, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies to immediately stop selling, buying and using the said materials unless they are officially registered at the MoH.

“Some pharma companies have held promotional workshops where doctors treated patients with Botox and dermal fillers”, the health official noted.

He warned that violation of medical ethics represent the greatest risk of such practices. Botox is an injectable anti-wrinkle drug derived from the paralytic agent botulinum toxin. It combats wrinkles that are created when nerve cells within the muscles beneath the skin release a chemical called acetylcholine. This chemical triggers a muscle contraction that creates wrinkles. The Botox product medically known as Botulinum Toxin Type A disrupts the release of acetylcholine, which essentially paralyzes the muscle and stops the contraction.

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