Dr. Jean Carruthers Gives Her Stamp of Approval

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

“It’s caveat emptor,” says ophthalmologist Jean Carruthers, the plastic surgeon who brought Botox® into Canada and remains at the forefront of research and development. To her, Botox® is an art that requires talent and experience. “You’ve got to be able to read the face. It’s not enough to have a cookie cutter,” she says. “But if dentists are willing to learn to do it properly, then fair enough.”

Botox® isn’t generally taught in dentistry school. A dozen Botox®-for-dentists workshops are taught privately across the country, and the Pacific Training Institute for Facial Aesthetics in Vancouver, founded by Roberts, offers two-day intensive courses across North America to medical personnel, who Roberts says are desperate to learn the skill. Two days is ample, Roberts maintains. “The average dentist in his first year does more injections, on awake patients who move and squirm, than the average physician does in his whole life.”

“With a little bit of extra education, there’s no doubt the average dentist can do most Botox® injections within his area of expertise,” says Mock, whose panel is expected to issue a final report by this fall. “What concerns me is the concentration of well-trained people—be they dermatologists, dentists or other medical professionals—doing Botox® versus treating disease,” says Mock. “To me, cosmetic Botox® isn’t a health issue, and it’s not something I’m proud to see my profession spending their time on.”

https://www.facialesthetics.org/blog/dr_jean_carruthers_gives_her_stamp_of_approval