Pune: Alarmed by the surge in unqualified individuals performing dermatology and aesthetic procedures in Maharashtra, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has written to the Medical Education and Drugs Department seeking strict action. The council warned that increasing numbers of quacks posing as dermatologists now pose a significant threat to public health.
Unqualified Individuals Misusing Medical Titles
In its letter, the MMC pointed out that several unregistered and untrained individuals are falsely calling themselves “skin specialists”, “trichologists”, and “aesthetic physicians”. The council stated that such misuse of medical titles without proper degrees is growing across Maharashtra and directly harming unsuspecting patients.
Dangerous Procedures Leading to Serious Complications
The MMC noted that these quacks often misuse steroids and perform high-risk skin and cosmetic procedures without the necessary medical training. As a result, patients are suffering severe complications, including burns, scars, necrosis, nerve damage, hair loss and permanent disfigurement.
Anti-Quackery Committees Failing to Perform
The letter also highlighted that district-level anti-quackery committees, established to curb such malpractice, are not functioning effectively. According to the MMC, these committees fail to verify qualifications properly, lack medical experts, and achieve very low conviction rates. The council urged the government to include qualified MMC representatives and dermatology specialists in these panels.
Dermatology Associations Raise Repeated Complaints
The MMC’s letter follows repeated complaints from organisations such as the Vidarbha Dermatological Society (VDS), a branch of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL). A delegation led by VDS president Dr Asra Khumushi recently met MMC administrator Dr Vinky Rughwani, raising concerns about unauthorised laser, Botox, filler and chemical treatments at non-medical establishments.
MMC Plans Guidelines and Mandatory Verification System
Speaking to the media, Dr Rughwani said the MMC will soon release guidelines specifying which dermatological and aesthetic procedures can only be performed by qualified specialists. He added that individuals conducting such procedures without appropriate qualifications are “bogus doctors”. The council also plans to strengthen the mandatory QR-code-based “Know Your Doctor” verification system across the state.
Dermatologists Report Rising Cases of Damage
Experts from various dermatology associations echoed the growing threat. VDS president Dr Khumushi said an increasing number of patients are developing severe complications after treatments done by unqualified individuals, including alternative medicine practitioners and beauty parlour staff. Kolhapur Dermatologist Association president Dr Balkrishna Nikam noted that a task force has been formed to document cases involving permanent harm.
Social Media Fueling Spread of Quackery
Doctors also pointed to social media influencers as major drivers of the problem, saying many promote cosmetic procedures without medical knowledge. They warned that patients often arrive with chemical peel burns, scarring alopecia and excessive hair growth caused by poorly done laser sessions. They added that even salons prescribing medicines is becoming common—an illegal and dangerous practice.
