Maintaining your youthful appearance and beauty often comes at a cost. Beauty products and treatments can be expensive, so some women turn to fake neuromodulators and synthetic fillers. While beauty treatments, and cosmetic procedures like botox, filler injections, are highly regulated and generally safe when performed by licensed professionals using approved products, a worrying trend in cosmetic medicine has emerged: the rise of illegal or fake neuromodulators and injectable fillers. These unregulated products have been linked to health risks, including infections, allergic reactions, dermal filler complications, and even emergency room visits, often due to an incorrect injection technique or wrong injection volume.

So how do you spot unregulated botulinum toxins and filler substance products?

 

Lip filler injection

 

The Dangers of Fake Neuromodulators and Fillers

Lack of regulation is the primary danger associated with counterfeit neuromodulators and facial fillers. In the U.S., products such as Botox and Juvederm family of fillers are subject to strict oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ensuring they meet stringent safety standards. However, many illegal products are manufactured abroad, bypassing these controls entirely.

Here are some of the risks caused by these unregulated products:

  1. There is no guarantee that these products contain the correct active ingredients and could be contaminated with harmful substances.
  2. When fillers or neuromodulators are not produced in sterile environments, they can introduce bacteria into the body, leading to serious infections. Unverified ingredients can also trigger a severe allergy or a foreign body reaction.
  3. Inexperienced individuals may attempt to administer these substances themselves. An improper filler treatment or botox cosmetic injection can lead to nerve damage, facial asymmetry, connective tissue damage, and other complications.
  4. Unwanted complications and side effects like severe swelling at the injection site, infections, and misplaced hyaluronic acid filler can result in tissue death if left untreated.

How to Spot Fake Neuromodulators and Fillers

Botox and Juvederm are some of the most popular aesthetic soft tissue augmentation products produced by Allergan, a pharmaceutical company known for its stringent safety protocols and high-quality standards. However, illegal counterfeit versions of these products are increasingly finding their way into the U.S. market.

 

Juvederm

 

Fake Juvederm

Juvederm is a dermal filler used to smooth deep wrinkles, particularly in the thicker superficial dermis such as the deep nasolabial folds. It is a popular lip enhancement product for the upper and lower lips, forehead treatment, facial wrinkles due to muscle contraction, tear trough correction, and other enhancement procedures. Unlike fillers made from bovine collagen, Juvederm produces hyaluronic acid fillers that are naturally occurring in the body. In the U.S., Allergan’s Juvederm family of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers does not feature a number next to the name. All legally approved Juvederm products in the U.S. also carry “XC” next to the name, which indicates they contain lidocaine, a local anesthetic to reduce discomfort during filler injection. In contrast, counterfeit Juvederm from other countries often features a number next to the name (e.g., “Juvederm 24”) and lacks the “XC” marking.

Real Botox vs. Fake Botox

Much like Juvederm, Botox (a neuromodulator used to reduce wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing facial features or muscles) is also frequently counterfeited. Real botulinum toxin comes in a distinctive bottle with a built-in hologram. If you open the box and the bottle lacks this hologram, it’s a sure sign that the product is fake. Counterfeit versions of Botox often come in packaging that mimics the real thing but includes subtle differences, such as poorly printed labels or unfamiliar brand markings.

How to Avoid Unsafe Neuromodulators and Dermal Filler Products

To protect yourself from the risks posed by fake fillers and neuromodulators, it’s important to be vigilant and informed. Here are some key steps you can take to ensure your safety:

  1. Only seek treatments from licensed professionals. The safest way to ensure you’re receiving legitimate products is to only undergo treatments administered by a licensed trained professional. These professionals use FDA-approved products and follow strict safety protocols to minimize the risk of complications.
  2. Verify product authenticity. If you’re unsure about the facial rejuvenation product or filler material being used, ask your provider to show you the packaging and check if it is genuine.
  3. Research the product and medical treatment provider: Avoid online marketplaces that sell unapproved cosmetic dermatology products without requiring a prescription or medical consultation, even though patient satisfaction is widely advertised.

Watch Out for Red Flags: If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of any provider offering cosmetic surgery treatments, lip augmentation services, or filler therapy that are significantly cheaper than the industry standard, as this may be a sign they are using illegal or counterfeit products. Another red flag is Groupon.  Avoid groupon deals at all cost.