Unregulated facial fillers and other aesthetic procedures are being carried out and promoted in Malta and some are leading to botched interventions, according to a doctor who works in the field of medical aesthetics.

Joanna Delia said her clinic was seeing up to eight daily cases of botched lip fillers.

“At the moment there are a lot of non-regu­lated and non-standard things being offered out there,” Delia told 200 women who attended the second edition of the Women’s Health and Wellbeing Expo at Villa Arrigo, organised by the Women for Women Foundation.

Delia, a medical doctor and founding member of the Aesthetic Physicians Association of Malta, said it was important for women to be aware of the risks and not to rush into decisions if they are considering having fillers or any med-aesthetic procedures.

She said that according to European Healthcare Standards, “the practitioner shall be a medical doctor authorised by the national competent authority to practise medicine autonomously”.

The medical doctor must be trained in the treatments and can be assisted by authorised healthcare professionals working under their supervision. Delia said that women who went to the clinic to fix botched interventions often told her they were not aware of this. She stressed the importance of having “the right skill, the right products and the right amount” in such procedures.

She also noted that, when done well, such procedures could help address self-esteem issues and help women feel good.

Some clients included victims of domestic violence with facial scarring, broken bones and trauma.

Addressing the conference, foundation general manager Elaine Compagno spoke about recognising the signs of domestic violence.

Compagno, a domestic violence survivor who is also a trainer and adviser in intimate partner violence and risk, stressed that domestic violence is not limited to physical beatings but there is a lot of verbal, emotional and psychological abuse.

“Domestic violence seeps in and it’s subtle. They start by isolating you from family and friends – the only version of reality for the victim is what is being shown by the perpetrator…

“It is a regime of illogical rules you don’t even know exist, such as: how should I know before someone comes home how his mood is?”

Psychologist Cher Engerer spoke about the need to prioritise the health of the brain for the purpose of overall wellbeing.

“Everything we do and feel comes from our brain – the most vital organ in our bodies and the most important thing we need to look after – the central processing unit in our body…

“We need to shift the paradigm, and rather than question whether something is good for our heart, skin or weight, we should be thinking about our brain,” said Engerer, a managing founder and clinical director at Polaris Consultancy.

For optimal brain function, she said, the brain needs a healthy flow of clean blood, hydration, physical and mental exercise, a nutrient-dense environment, oxygen, food, hormones and sleep.

The good news, she said, is that the brain can be “tricked”.

“Your brain is not in control of you. You are in control of your brain. We don’t feel it as we often feel we are victims of our emotions,” she said as she gave examples of positive self-talk, regular exercise, smiling and laughing, finding relaxed moments daily and stimulating the brain with challenging activities.

As she listed a few other examples, she said that something as simple as making your bed, and ticking that box, could release dopamine into the brain.

“And notice the glimmers. We know a lot about triggers – but we have glimmers all around us: a beautiful sunrise, a flower, a compliment. Take on these glimmers because they are there amongst all these triggers but we say nothing about them,” she said.