Skin care has become the target of “many shady and sometimes dangerous practices” as confirmed by the secretary of the International Dermatology Congress, which was held in Tehran recently. ‘’Unfortunately, several unreliable skin care and beauty centers have opened and many of them lack the credentials and expertise, and can be detrimental to people’s health,’’ says Dr. Alireza Firooz.
Lack of funds poses a big challenge for research in the field of skin care and “this has opened the way for rampant fraudulent activities, black market growth and an increase in consumer regret,” he noted, while expressing concern over the entry of ‘’non-experts in the skin care market,” ISNA reported.
He emphasized the sensitive texture of skin and said skin has a ‘’complex’’ structure with numerous cells. ‘’Anybody who aspires to enter the field of skin care and treatment must have enough expertise,’’ he stressed.
Iranians’ obsession with beauty is well-known; the country has already earned the title of the “nose job capital of the world,” and a study conducted by the Rhinology Research Society of Iran and the Johns Hopkins University, says that the “rate of nose jobs per capita in Iran is seven times that in America.”
Stricter Rules
Firooz warned against large-scale advertisements for skin beauty products by satellite television networks and recommended that people with skin problems refer to a certified specialist. He further called for stricter rules and more regulations “to prevent uninitiated and incompetent practitioners from entering the field.”
He said congresses of this kind “will first and foremost make us benefit from the latest global research and findings and we can make use of them in our scientific, educational and research programs on skin care within the country.’’
The dermatology specialist also lauded the achievements of Iran in medical sciences and said ‘’Luckily, we have made significant progress during the past 10 years, so much so that we had the fastest growth in the number of medical journal articles in the world.’’ He added that the same positive trend has been happening in the field of dermatology too.
