Endangering Patients for Profits

Dr. Lauren Saltzburg: Endangering Patients for Profits

medical ethics

When the Lure of Cosmetic Industry Cash Compromises Ethics

The Plan Was to Maximize Profits By Hiring a Skin Esthetician to Do a Physician's Work

Dr. Lauren Saltzburg and Dr. Michael Saltzburg co-founded Luminary Cosmetic Medicine & Hair Restoration. Dr. Lauren Saltzburg now also performs surgery at Sanctuary Plastic Surgery for Dr. Jason Pozner. From the beginning Luminary was built on the idea that the laws don’t apply to their business. Putting profit over patient safety is simply unacceptable and is also against NJ law. 


From the beginning of their joint business venture, Dr. Lauren Saltzburg and Dr. Michael Saltzburg knowingly planned to break NJ laws designed to protect patients. 


They hired a skin esthetician as the primary person to give laser skin treatments, including with zero supervision whatsoever by a physician or any other qualified medical professional. Estheticians are not permitted under any circumstance to operate laser devices under NJ law. Yet Luminary’s primary profits came from laser skin treatments given, unsupervised, by an esthetician!


The Sciton Halo/BBL laser uses both ablative and non-ablative technology and is a powerful, medical grade laser device.  Ablative lasers in particular are more invasive and it's even more critical that the operator is licensed, trained physician. The owners of Luminary Cosmetic sought to maximize their profit by scheduling the bulk of laser appointments with an esthetician, many times with only the receptionist, esthetician, and patient present in the office.

 Luminary’s primary profits came from laser skin treatments illegally performed by a skin esthetician - totally unsupervised in most cases.

It Was a Deliberate Choice

This was exemplified by their coordinated and knowing efforts to have patients treated with extremely powerful laser treatments by an unqualified skin esthetician. I personally overheard their conversations about how as a skin esthetician, under NJ law, Gina Osbeck was not supposed to be treating patients without the presence of a physician or similarly qualified, trained and licensed medical provider in the facility. This practice of giving a skin esthetician use of a powerful, high energy laser devices (Sciton Halo/BBL) on patients without medical supervision went on for a year or two at minimum, affecting hundreds of patients. Sciton is also questionably for knowingly helping train individuals who weren't legally qualified to even use the device.


It Was Simply More Profitable to Ignore the Law

Yet it was more convenient and profitable to just ignore this law, so they chose to have Gina Osbeck treat patients unsupervised. I was shocked by the recklessness not only from the safety angle but also from the business sense. Lasers are powerful medicine and while they can beautify the skin when used correctly, NJ law explicitly states that only physicians are qualified to operate medical grade lasers, due the risk of serious side effects. 

The Medspa Industry is a Cash Cow & The Wild West

Doctors hold a sacred responsibility to prioritize patients' safety. Yet with laser treatments alone being so incredibly lucrative, too many business-minded doctors, like Dr. Michael Saltzburg and Dr. Lauren Saltzburg, cut corners to make more money.  Many plastic surgeons and cosmetic practice owners are in fact ethical and place the highest priority on patient safety, so those who compromise safety taint the entire industry.

Read More...

Read more about our tragic saga...My mother was a strong advocate for women and children. She would want the lies exposed so others can learn from her mistakes. It also is my hope that people can know the truth about Dr. Michael Saltzburg and Dr. Lauren Saltzburg so that, at least on some level, they are held accountable for their actions. Dark ethics deserve the light of truth.

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