Non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as Botox(R) are becoming increasingly popular, but surgeons warn that patients should always check the credentials of professionals offering such treatments.

According to Dr Mark Berkowitz, one of the most experienced injectors in the US, undesirable outcomes can usually be prevented by selecting a highly-skilled, experienced practitioner.

"Botox is one of the most common cosmetic procedures being performed today, but too many patients have no idea who is at the other end of that needle," he remarked.

Dr Berkowitz said that many doctors and nurses who administer botox injections for wrinkle reduction simply don't have the necessary training or experience.

"For a physician like myself, botox injections are given several times each day and are likely to be the simplest cases of the day," he revealed.

"To a primary care doctor, treatments are probably few and far between - and are probably the biggest cases of the month."

The expert, who has over ten years of experience with botox, warned that many patients make "very poor decisions".

"Then they come to me looking to undo drooping brows, unsightly scars and other undesirable results that could have possibly been avoided by visiting a highly-skilled cosmetic specialist in the beginning," he said.

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Cosmetic surgery news : 31/1/2007