PESHAWAR: Little did Hira Khan know that a recent visit to her neighborhood beauty parlor would cause her skin to undergo unprecedented turmoil.
A long-term Peshawar resident named Hira was informed by the beauty parlor personnel that their lotions were the key to clear skin and a radiant complexion. After putting her faith in the parlor staff’s counsel, Hira now feels remorse. Their recommendation was a variety of injections and skin care products that would improve my appearance. “I had no idea that being better meant experiencing a severe acne breakout,” Hira stated, her voice filled with anger.
“Since the acne breakouts, I have felt the overwhelming need to seek professional help for my red, inflamed, and visibly enlarged skin,” she continued.
This nightmare has opened Hira’s eyes to the fact that every beauty parlor in the city claims to employ beauticians who have never had any formal training. It is disheartening that individuals can capitalize on people’s vulnerabilities and earn a livelihood without facing any consequences, expressed Hira. “They are selling beauty as a business, without any check and balance, and for that they charge an arm and a leg.”
Hira claims that the seemingly cosmetic procedure that damaged her normally delicate skin cost her an exorbitant amount of Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. Be that as it may, Hira is far from the only one who has fallen victim to skin-light scams. Plastic surgeon Muhamma Salman Khan of Peshawar said that he frequently sees patients who have been deceived into undergoing cosmetic procedures by parlors.
“The majority of individuals that are associated with the city’s beauty parlor industry lack the necessary expertise to provide guidance regarding skin concerns like hyperpigmentation or melasma,” he made the observation.
“They are blissfully ignorant to believe that superficial treatments like injections and skin care products can address underlying issues with their skin.”
Salman stated that the majority of injections and creams sold by purported beauticians and beauty parlors in Pakistan have not even been licensed by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). An increasing number of individuals are setting up shop on social media platforms and claiming to provide solutions without having the necessary qualifications. The plastic surgeon further argued that inexperienced individuals frequently administer laser and skin treatments, with the mistaken belief that a whitening injection or cream will provide magical results.
“What these salons fail to understand is that injectable whitening products and treatments remove the protective layer of skin, leaving the user vulnerable to the damaging effects of sun exposure.”
In response to Salman’s disclosures, the Express Tribune spoke with Mohsin Turk, a lawyer of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Care Commission (HCC), regarding the public health risk posed by beauty parlours and the absence of legislation and enforcement against them. Salons and medical professionals providing cosmetic procedures are the two main categories of beauty parlors. In response, Mohsin said that salons in Sarhad are registered with the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while those in the HCC provide skin medical treatments and cosmetic services.
According to the legal expert, the Pakistan Medical Council published 26 recommendations that registered medical care enterprises were required to follow in order to function. But beauty parlors don’t have any rules. Almost every street in Peshawar has a beauty salon. These companies must be strictly regulated.
Mohsin said that the companies were practicing quackery when asked whether they should be punished by the HCC because they were essentially providing medical treatments. “Quackery carries a punishment of either six months in jail or a fine of Rs 1 million,” he stated as his last statement to the Express Tribune.
