Dubai // Clinics offering cosmetic and medical laser treatments in the capital will face fresh scrutiny this year as health officials clamp down on unscrupulous and unlicensed facilities.
Inspectors at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) will examine medical equipment used in laser treatment and check out the people operating it in order to protect the public. The body will also publish guidelines on the requirements of clinics that perform the procedures.
Laser treatment is very popular in the removal of excess or very dark hair and also can be used to rectify skin problems such as scarring and pigmentation. According to an official at HAAD, there is a "very high risk" associated with any sort of laser treatment, and patients risk serious burns if they receive substandard care.
"We will be looking closely at laser equipment and medical centres which offer this," Dr Mohammed Abuelkhair, the head of the medicines and medical regulation unit at the authority, said on the sidelines of Arab Health 2010 in Dubai yesterday. "The practice is increasing in use and we want to make sure that the right equipment is being used by the right people."
He said people often underestimated the dangers posed by these sorts of treatments and were much more vigilant when it came to invasive medical procedures or medications.
To clear up any confusion, HAAD will be releasing new guidelines for the industry that will stipulate exactly who can perform laser surgery, and the requirements of the facility in which it is done. They will also set out the minimum training requirements for those operating the laser machinery.
"It will define how many hours of training they need to keep up-to-date to make sure they are practising safely," he said. "It should be done under the supervision of a physician."
The guidelines and clinic inspections will include all medical devices, such as those used in microdermabrasion, chemical skin peels, collagen facial treatments and intense massage machines which are supposed to break up fats.
Much of the medical equipment - including laser machinery - is imported from India, China, Europe and other parts of the Middle East.
By law, every device entering the country should be inspected by the Ministry of Health before being allowed to enter the market.
But there are many shipments which go "under the radar" and are not checked, said Dr Taher Khalil, an endocrinologist who also owns his own laser clinic in Dubai.
"There are two issues; the equipment and the training of the person using the machine," he said. "I deal a lot with women who have excess hair so want laser hair removal. They need to look for a good person who has the proper training and is supervised by a licensed physician. Otherwise it can be dangerous."
If the wrong dose is delivered it can cause serious burns and permanent damage, he said. "Equipment coming in should be inspected but sometimes it is not, for whatever reason, so the quality can vary a lot.
"It is essential people do their research before going to a clinic."
The ministry was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Jasmine Yammine, 26, visited one of the beauty centres on Jumeriah Beach Road in Dubai to enquire about laser hair removal two years ago.
"A few of my friends had been to the same centre and said it was great and they were happy with the results, so I trusted them and booked an appointment," said the Palestinian.
Ms Yammine wanted to remove the fine hairs on her lower abdominal areas and was told the treatment would be 100 per cent effective.
"When I went for my appointment, I was just met by a young girl my age, probably a beautician, and was never seen by a doctor or dermatologist," said Ms Yammine.
"I didn't worry about anyone's qualifications; I thought it was no big deal."
Ms Yammine said she now regrets her decision, because the results were not as successful as she was promised.
"I didn't have any bad side effects or scarring, but now I know I could have and I was just lucky," she said.
These types of clinics, Ms Yammine discovered, are more beauty clinics than certified health facilities.
"They are not that honest with you; they are just selling you a beauty treatment ... and if you aren't careful about where you go, it might turn out badly."
Esra Abci, 29, an architect living in Dubai, emphasised the importance of thorough research.
The Turkish national, who suffered scarring from acne that left the surface of the skin on her face very uneven, spent almost Dh20,000 on 12 laser treatment sessions over the course of a year.
"I researched good doctors online, and I knew I wanted a professional in a hospital and not just someone operating from a private clinic that wants to make a profit and will try and sell me any treatment," she said.
She found a Turkish doctor of cosmetology who was highly recommended on online discussion sites for facial laser treatment.
"I was comfortable with the doctor when I met her, and she spoke Turkish too, so I could communicate what I wanted," she said.
Despite the high price, Ms Abci said it was the only treatment which worked and she felt she was in safe hands.
"Sometimes, these types of treatment are the only way available for someone to feel better about themselves and have better self-esteem and not suffer from depression, and in those cases, they are necessary," she said.
* The National
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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