By Jemi Ekunkunbor

The Association of Practitioners of Spa and Medical Aesthetics of Nigeria (APSMAN), has decried the sharp practices of quacks in the spa industry even as it calls for proper regulation of activities of practitioners.

Speaker after speaker at a press conference in Lagos weekend, attended by Spa owners in Lagos as well as the Provost of the Lagos State College of Health, Dr Moyo Kasin lamented the activities of untrained spa owners who pose as medical Aestheticians and in their practices, have done harm to many unsuspecting and vulnerable members of the public who are in a hurry to see results.

President of the association Dr. Felix Avajah, said APSMAN has come to regulate practice in the industry and to get people to understand the beauty industry. According to him, many of the spa owners today, are people who wake up one morning and see spa business as a viable money-making business but without adequate training.

“Today, we are saying let’s rescue Nigerians from quacks. We are not telling them to run away, we are not telling them to close down. We are telling them to come to us so that we can train them and, licence them to practice so that they don’t damage people’s skins. Many of them use harsh products and often, you hear clients who have been to quacks, complaining that they went to a medical aesthetician but, by the time you go check those people out, you find out they are not trained medical aestheticians at all. And that is why we are partnering with the Lagos State College of Health. They will do the training and we would do the practical and also licence them”.

In his contribution, Provost, Lagos State College of Health, Dr. Moyo Kasim pledged the school’s support for the training and called on APSMAN to come up with a proper curriculum for training and set entry qualifications into the college. He also advised members to make their services affordable and accessible to the different strata of the society in order to avoid innocent Nigerians from going to patronise quacks.

L-R: Dr Bruce Nwachie, Chinaeze Odinamadu, Dr. Felix Avajah,,Arin Adeniyi,Dayo Adebayo,Joyce Busari

L-R: Dr. Bruce Nwachie, Joyce Busari, Dr. Moyo Kasim, Toyin Collins, Dr. Felix Avajah & Pamela Olatunji- bello