In the news today is another story of storefront cosmetic procedures gone horribly wrong, and again, performed by an unlicensed practitioner.

Patricia Villegas, a beautician in Flushing, NY, is accused of administering cosmetic injections without a license. Several clients suffered disfiguring infections and scarring. In this case, the injections turned out to be fake. The substances she was injecting into women’s skin were not collagen and cortisone as she claimed.

In the quest for perfection women will go to great lengths and sometimes undergo cosmetic procedures that may not be necessary, safe or approved by the FDA. There have been increasing reports of unlicensed doctors performing cosmetic surgeries and medical procedures being illegally offered in beauty salons. A young woman in Massachusetts died while undergoing an illegal liposuction in a basement.

It’s another reminder to seek medical cosmetic procedures from only licensed professionals. Check credentials and licenses and if your state gives you access to such information, find out if they have ever been disciplined by the state board that regulates practicioners holding that license.

We talk about a lot of cosmetics and tips for achieving beauty here, but remember, the point of cosmetics is to make the most of what nature gave you, to bring out the natural beauty that you already are. The beauty on the outside is just packaging for the beauty inside, and nothing is worth the pain and suffering that can be caused by unscrupulous people who peddle unsafe cosmetic procedures to women whose self-image has been damaged by the computer-altered images of unattainable beauty that are constantly before them.