Check Your Doc Before Getting That Shot: Nevada Medical Assistants Illegally Administered Botox

David Mittleman

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If your vanity has gotten the best of you and you can’t resist a quick shot of Botox or two, you still may want to pay attention to who’s poking you with that needle. According to Louis Ling, the executive director of the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners, some plastic surgeons in the state have routinely allowed medical assistants to administer Botox.

Ling refused to name any doctors who might have allowed their medical assistants to administer Botox and refuses to discipline the doctors or their assistants for the illegal practice. Instead, he believes that the illegal injections occurred because of plastic surgeons’ ignorance of the Nevada statutes that do not allow medical assistants to administer Botox. Furthermore, he claims that the only reason he even knew the practice is illegal is because he used to serve on the Nevada Board of Pharmacists. Nevertheless, ignorance of a law is not an excuse. In fact, illegal administration of drugs in Nevada is a felony.

Botox is a toxin derived from the paralytic agent botulinum toxin. In it’s most natural form, Botox is Botulism, the fatal paralyzing disease that wiped out millions of people in Europe in the 1800s. Moreover, the side effects of Botox can be very serious, including swallowing and breathing problems. This fact prompted the Food and Drug Administration to place black box warnings on the injectable toxin, a warning usually only placed on drugs that have the potential to cause heart attacks or stroke. Therefore, if you can’t live with your wrinkles and feel that Botox is the right medical procedure to rid you of those unwanted lines, please research your medical facility thoroughly. Generally, physicians should be the only individuals injecting you with Botox.