EDITORIAL - Fakes beware, beware of fakes

A man who passed himself off as a doctor and even performed “enhancement treatments” on some of his clients has been arrested by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.

This after his clients suffered medical complications from his less-than-ideal procedures.

It can technically be said that the fake doctor, identified as Roel Fernandez Bacus, 57, also called “Mommy Debs”, knew what he was doing when he injected his clients with fluids for hip enhancement procedures.

But then again it can also be said that he did something wrong because his clients suffered serious health issues.

It was later learned that Bacus used to assist a licensed doctor doing the same procedures. But after he was fired for performing the same procedures on his own accord, he decided to set up his own face and body enhancement business, performing procedures on his clients in hotels rather than in his own clinic.

Becoming a doctor licensed to perform certain procedures, whether these are cosmetic or essential, invasive or non-invasive, requires years of training. Just because someone has observed someone else perform said procedures repeatedly doesn’t mean he or she suddenly has the competence to do so.

Those who are fully qualified to carry out these procedures know about the inherent risks that come with them; those who just see the end results are usually not aware of the things that can go wrong.

It’s good that Bacus has been arrested. Who knows how many more people he could have victimized if he hadn’t.

This should be a warning not just for those who are practicing “enhancement procedures” illegally, but also those who want to take shortcuts when it comes to enhancing their features.

If it’s too good to be true, meaning in this case it’s a procedure that costs way less than it usually should, then that is a red flag. A beauty enhancement doctor without his or her own clinic is also another red flag. Not that all those who don’t have one are fakes; but having a clinic means a place you can definitely find that doctor if anything goes wrong.