Two leading specialist bodies, the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) and the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI), have raised serious concerns over patient safety and training standards in aesthetic and hair restoration procedures amid rising demand and expanding provider categories. The associations, speaking at a joint press conference at the Delhi Press Club on 10 March, warned that recent regulatory permissions and aggressive marketing practices are creating conditions that could expose patients to preventable harm.
Their alarm follows permissions granted by the Dental Council of India under the Dentists Act, 1948, allowing MDS dental surgeons to perform certain aesthetic procedures and hair transplantation. According to IADVL and APSI, such procedures have traditionally been carried out by dermatologists and plastic surgeons who undergo structured specialist training within the National Medical Commission framework. The bodies argued that extending the scope of practice to professionals without comprehensive training in skin diseases, hair disorders and surgical complication management risks diluting standards and blurring regulatory lines.
Aesthetic dermatology requires long-duration, supervised training that goes far beyond basic medical qualifications, IADVL representatives stressed. “In addition to the MBBS degree, a dermatologist training program requires 3 years of residency at a postgraduate level in dermatology at certain accredited medical schools,” said Dr Vinay Singh, President, IADVL. The curriculum, he noted, condenses extensive learning on skin ailments, hair problems and advanced dermatology procedures that underpin safe practice in cosmetology and hair restoration.
Plastic surgeons echoed these concerns from a surgical standpoint. Senior consultant plastic surgeon Dr Rajat Gupta cautioned that allowing practitioners without full-spectrum medical training in skin, hair and complications to perform aesthetic and hair transplant procedures could heighten risks for patients and erode quality benchmarks. Senior consultant plastic surgeon Dr Aditya Aggarwal of Medanta Medicity underlined that hair transplantation “requires knowledge regarding the biology of the skin, the disorders of the hair, how to manage infections, and how to manage complications,” and reiterated that such surgery is a modern medical intervention that should be undertaken only by registered medical practitioners with specialisation in the field.
The issue has been sharpened by recent adverse events involving unqualified or misqualified providers. In the past year, there has been a reported rise in unqualified individuals performing aesthetic medical procedures, with the Kanpur hair transplant case cited as a stark example in which two engineers died after hair transplants allegedly conducted by a dental surgeon. Other incidents from different parts of the country have documented severe infections, loss of vision and multiple complications linked to aesthetic procedures performed by inadequately trained practitioners.
IADVL leaders also flagged the role of social media, online platforms and chemist-driven advice in shaping youth behaviour around skin and hair care. “With one of the biggest youth demographics, and in the wake of a surging demand for skin, hair and other aesthetic procedures in recent years, India’s youth has been the target consumer of aesthetic and dermatological marketing,” said Dr Shital Poojary, Hon Secretary General, National IADVL. She noted that mounting skin and hair concerns have fuelled “frequent misuse of social media, and dependency on medications from chemists and other non-medically trained personnel.”
Misleading online listings are compounding the problem, warned Dr Deepika Pandhi, President, Delhi State IADVL. She said some websites promote “dermatologists” through paid advertisements with little or no verification of qualifications, a practice she described as a continuing threat to public health. The associations stressed the need for stronger formal and legal mechanisms to regulate how medical services are marketed online and offline.
The debate has already reached the courts. The Tamil Nadu branch of IADVL has filed writ petitions before the Madras High Court challenging the Dental Council of India’s 6 December 2022 guidelines that permit certain aesthetic and hair transplant procedures by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. During a hearing on 21 January 2026, the court noted a regulatory conflict between the Dental Council and the National Medical Commission and directed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to examine the issue and respond to ensure clarity that prioritises patient safety.
Concluding their appeal, IADVL and APSI called on the government to issue comprehensive guidelines and rigorously enforce existing regulations to curb quackery and protect public health. They urged patients to verify doctors’ qualifications and state medical council registration before undergoing any skin, hair or cosmetic treatment, and to insist that registration numbers are clearly mentioned on prescriptions. The public, they said, must remain alert to misleading advertisements and avoid treatments offered by unlicensed or inadequately trained practitioners.
