12/11/2025
This story is heartbreaking and it highlights an issue that aestheticians have been warning about for years: advanced cosmetic procedures being performed by individuals without proper certification, scope awareness, or medical oversight.
CAMACS
For anyone unfamiliar, CAMACS stands for:
Canadian Association of Medical Aesthetics & Cosmetic Surgery
CAMACS provides:
✔ Evidence-based national education
✔ Canada-wide certification
✔ Clear scope-of-practice guidelines
✔ Safety and sanitation standards
✔ Required risk-management protocols
✔ Requirements for on-site medical oversight
My CAMACS Medical Aesthetician license is recognized across Canada.
But here in Newfoundland & Labrador (and many other provinces), there is no real provincial regulation for aestheticians.
That means anyone can offer advanced procedures without standardized training, oversight, or accountability which is exactly how situations like this happen.
Is CAMACS the only certification in Canada?
No, Canada has no universal regulatory body.
However, CAMACS is one of the only national, medically aligned, evidence-based organizations that:
• Works alongside physicians, NPs, and dermatology professionals
• Sets real scope-of-practice guidelines
• Requires risk-management education
• Uses Health Canada–aligned protocols
• Is respected by medical clinics across the country
This is why a CAMACS license carries weight and why the lack of provincial regulation makes these standards even more important.
As a Level 3 Aesthetician and Licensed Medical Aesthetician (CAMACS), I want to be very clear:
➡️ I would never perform a deep chemical peel as a solo aesthetician.
➡️ CAMACS standards require a medical director physically on-site for these levels of treatment.
➡️ These peels must follow strict risk-management protocols: proper client selection, barrier assessment, technique, timing, contraindication checks, and emergency procedures.
I’m not saying I’m perfect , none of us are. In aesthetics, we all learn, we grow, and small, manageable mistakes can happen in any career.
But based on the photos and the details shared in the story, this does not appear to be an average mistake.
This type of injury goes far beyond what would occur from a minor oversight. It reflects a situation where someone was likely working outside their scope, without medical supervision, and without the training and risk-management foundations CAMACS teaches.
In my own practice, I follow CAMACS standards and clinical risk-management protocols fully:
• I work strictly within my scope
• I follow evidence-based, Health Canada–aligned guidelines
• I take an abundance of caution with any barrier-disrupting treatment
• I complete full risk assessments before advanced services
• And if a treatment falls outside my scope, I refer immediately to dermatology or a medical clinic
Your skin is a medical organ, not a trend, not an experiment.
And once it’s damaged, the healing process can take months or even years.
This is why I feel (and many) Newfoundland & Labrador urgently needs regulation.
Until standardized training and safety oversight are in place, clients remain vulnerable to preventable injuries.
My advice to clients everywhere:
✨ Ask for verifiable credentials, not quick certificates)
✨ Ask who the medical director is and whether they’re on-site
✨ Avoid high-strength or extreme-downtime treatments outside medical settings
✨ Choose providers who prioritize scope, safety, and clinical risk-management, not shortcuts
Client safety is not optional.
Proper oversight is not optional.
CAMACS exists for a reason and this story is a reminder of why. 🤍
🔗: bit.ly/4pqOiOi
A woman who accused celebrity facialist Sonya Dakar of permanently scarring her face has now filed a lawsuit against her. l 📷: Victoria Nelson/TikTok
