84 Beauty Centers Sealed in 6 Months; 2 Tehran Districts Are Hangouts for Unlicensed Operators

Unlicensed health and treatment centers usually have no signboards and operate covertly. In many cases, they learn of inspectors' presence through monitoring equipment and new technologies and do not open the door to them.

The head of Iran University of Medical Sciences treatment supervision department announced to Ambassador Arjan:

Unauthorized centers in the field of health and treatment usually do not have signs and operate secretly. In many cases, using monitoring facilities and new technologies, they are informed about the presence of inspectors and do not open the door to them.

Ambassador Arjan - Maryam Sarkhosh: Hair transplantation at half price, cheap beauty services and the promise of face change at the lowest cost; Tempting offers that may be hidden behind an unauthorized establishment.

Centers that do not have a clear sign, do not necessarily use expert staff, and are not easy for inspectors to identify. However, their market is still hot and some customers risk their health and beauty in hopes of paying less.

Now, the new statistics of Iran University of Medical Sciences in the press conference of the vice president of medicine of this university show that in the last 6 months, 84 unauthorized medical centers have been closed and sealed in the area covered by this university. A significant part of the identified violations is related to beauty, skin and hair services, hair transplant, hair removal, and laser; Services whose unprincipled performance can have consequences beyond dissatisfaction with the result of a cosmetic procedure.

Saeed Aghajani, head of Iran University of Medical Sciences' Treatment Supervision Department, announced the seal of 84 unauthorized centers about the difficulty of identifying these centers and told Ambassador Arjan: Unauthorized centers usually do not have signs and their activities are secret. In many cases, using monitoring facilities and new technologies, they are informed about the presence of inspectors and do not open the door to them.

Of course, according to the official, if necessary, in coordination with the judicial authorities and obtaining the entry permit, the site will be inspected and legal measures will be taken to close and seal the center.

Emphasizing that we do not have accurate statistics on the number of unauthorized centers, he continues: About 3,450 medical institutions and between 8,000 and 9,000 clinics operate within Iran University of Medical Sciences, but the number of unauthorized centers is not known. In such a situation, people's reports play an important role in discovering violations, and after receiving these reports, the issue is investigated and necessary legal measures are taken.

These 2 areas of Tehran have the highest number of unauthorized centers

According to the announcement of the head of the treatment supervision department of Iran University of Medical Sciences, the most activity of the unauthorized centers identified is in Sadeghieh and Saadat Abad areas, and the reason for this is the more people's movement.

Aghajani also says about the most violations of unauthorized centers: we have the most services in the field of beauty, skin and hair services, hair transplant, hair removal and laser, which can lead to damages that sometimes cannot be compensated.

According to this official, the most common side effects observed in visiting these unauthorized centers are drooping eyelids and eyes, damage to the beauty and disfigurement of the face.

A discount that may be expensive

One of the most important tools for attracting customers in unauthorized centers is offering lower prices than legal centers. The price difference in the current economic conditions can be attractive to the applicants for beauty services, but according to Aghajani, this issue alone should not be the only criterion for choosing a treatment center, and in further explanation, he states: Currently, the usual cost of hair transplant is around 50 million tomans, which of course we do not accept this price, but unauthorized centers offer the same service with an offer of 20 million tomans to encourage people to visit.

But, he warns, at what cost is less, when the result is loss of facial beauty or irreparable damage? There are tariffs approved by the Ministry of Health for services such as hair and eyebrow transplants or hair removal. Despite inflation and increased costs, people should be more careful about lower costs and pay attention to the license of the center and the professional qualification of the doctor providing the service.

The series of unauthorized centers has no end

Concerns about the activity of unauthorized beauty centers have also been raised by the health system trustees and the officials of the medical system organization. Dr. Mohammad Reza Khordmand, the then deputy police officer of the Medical System Organization, said in this regard, "Most of the people's complaints are in the field of beauty and restorative services, and unlicensed and underground centers are one of the main causes of damage to people's health and beauty."

Damages caused by unauthorized beauty services are not always limited to undesired facial changes. Maryam Esmaili, an expert in charge of cosmetics and health products at the Food and Drug Department of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, announced in a news last year that "providing services such as gel injection, botox and laser in unqualified centers can cause skin infections, permanent stains and allergic reactions."

A more severe example of these damages was also reported in Shiraz last September. Dr. Amin Nyakan, Vice President of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, announced the identification of a residential house where gel injection, botox and cosmetic surgery services were performed and one of the clients was brought to the brink of death. This center was identified after the complaint of the injured person.

Do not forget 2 important points

Despite the regulatory actions and the continuation of the activities of these centers, the officials of the health system believe that people's awareness can play an important role in reducing referrals to unauthorized centers. Aghajani emphasizes two points in this regard: First, people should register the activities of unauthorized centers and their complaints through the Ministry of Health's 190 system. Second, before receiving any treatment or beauty service, they must see the license of the center.

He reminds: according to the law, it is mandatory to display the original activity license in front of the public, and the clients should be sure of the center's license and doctor's qualification.

According to Ambassador Arjan, sealing of 84 unauthorized centers in the last 6 months, on the one hand, shows the continuation of regulatory actions, and on the other hand, reminds us of the need to pay more attention to a market where the promise of cheap beauty sometimes ends in costly and irreparable damages. The most important solution, despite the multiplicity of these centers' activities, is the awareness of the people in not seeking and receiving services, which is the least useful in preventing irreparable damages.