Botox injections stir debate in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 25 (UPI) -- Despite the potentially lethal consequences of a botched injection, Botox and fillers like Juvederm can be injected by anyone in Sweden, a report said.

Substances injected under the skin to fill out wrinkles or saggy areas are becoming increasingly common in much of the world, but in Sweden they are classified as medical devices, not drugs, and can be administered by anyone regardless of training and without any demands of specialist knowledge in anatomy, nerves or muscles, a report by Sveriges Television said Wednesday.

The existing rules are lax because when they were written Botox and fillers weren't around and the market hadn't yet exploded to the extent it has today, said Ulf Samuelsson, a surgeon and chairman of the Swedish association of aesthetic plastic surgery.

"The National Board of Health and Welfare has been caught by surprise, although the road to here has been long," Samuelsson said.

Stina Auer, a qualified nurse at a Stockholm beauty salon, said the hazards of having unqualified people injecting fillers and Botox is substantial.

"To avoid the facial nerve, or facial bones for that matter, is tricky. Maybe you'll manage with nine patients, but the 10th could be paralyzed for the rest of their life. Then it is not as fun, and not as easy," Auer said.