THE MINISTRY OF Health says it intends to implement additional regulations for the stricter use of Botox, a new cosmetic drug.
Botox, which has been heralded across the world as the latest cosmetic wonder drug is being used in Jamaica, however health officials say there is no strict regulations governing its use.
Rowena Palmer, public relations officer for the Ministry of Health said there are regulations for persons who are registered to use the drugs such as cosmetologists and doctors, however there is none governing its use by personnel who are not registered to do so.
The lack of regulations governing the use of the drug could put potential users at risk. In the United States, Botox parties which involve several persons being treated at the same times are being discouraged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as they could lead to the spread of infections.
Botox which is correctly known as Botulinum Toxin Type A is a protein complex produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which contains a toxin that causes food poisoning.
The cosmetic version of the drug is widely applied as an injection and helps to smooth frown lines and wrinkles.
While THE STAR could not find anywhere which hosts these parties, other risks exist in terms of how and who can administer the drug. Presently there are no strict regulations about who can apply the drug and just about anyone, even if they are not trained in cosmetics can do the procedure. This places patients at risk as not all persons may be familiar with the proper methods of injecting the drug.
In the meantime, the drug's popularity continues to increase as the benefits of the drug become more publicised. According to an article published in the FDA Consumer Magazine in 2002, the drug had grown in popularity as in 2001 more than 1.6 million persons had received the injections, an increase of 46 per cent over the previous year.
There were no statistics available about the widespread use of the drug locally.
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