India’s growing beauty and wellness industry has led to a new business model — the medspa, or medical spa. These places combine spa luxury with medical precision. They offer services like laser hair removal, skin lightening, Botox, and body sculpting.
Sounds like the best of both worlds, right?
Unfortunately, the reality is often far less glamorous. The aesthetics industry is changing fast. Rising incomes, more awareness, and social media are key factors. However, medspas in India are growing even faster than the regulations meant to oversee them.
The explosive growth of the medical spa industry is a compelling tale of finance. Market research by Marketdata LLC estimates that there are approximately 8,800 operating medical spas in the U.S. as of 2023, with sales projected to grow 9.8% annually. Worldwide, the medical spa market may be worth $25.9 billion by 2026, per MedEsthetics Magazine. This dramatic growth is what we are experiencing in urban India as well, where medspas are proliferating at an unprecedented scale. 1
But this boom has also generated huge problems.
Alex Thiersch, CEO of the American Med Spa Association, notes there’s “a bit of an underbelly to this industry.” He highlights that some people are doing treatments who should not be doing them.
This troubling fact is only a small part of a much broader problem including markets in India where regulation has difficulty keeping up with development. 2
While medspas are rapidly multiplying all over urban India, their regulation has been lagging. The majority of them exist in a legal and ethical gray area, raising questions about patient safety, medical ethics, and consumer rights.
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Here’s why this matters:
The regulatory landscape for medical spas is fragmented globally, and India faces similar challenges. As industry experts note, many states “simply don’t have the resources or the time to be looking at the medical spas and ensuring that they’re doing things correctly.”
This regulatory gap allows many medspas to:
“Would you trust someone with no surgical training to perform your cosmetic procedure? Sadly, this is becoming the norm in many Medspas.
The gap in training is alarming, Dr. Srinagesh, explains that “Well-trained plastic surgeons fully understand facial anatomy, tissue dynamics, and injectable pharmacology. They have the foundation to provide safe treatments and handle complications. Their extensive training turns into an asset to treatment as all surgeons can truly provide both safety and aesthetics.”
Procedures like Botox, dermal fillers, laser resurfacing, and chemical peels are medical-grade interventions that require:
Yet many are performed by non-doctors or technicians with minimal medical training — putting customers at high risk of burns, infections, nerve damage, or worse.
The lack of standardized safety protocols creates dangerous situations. Unlike hospitals, most standalone medspas are not required to follow:
This means that even a simple laser session can cause complications if there’s no system for quick help.
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Another major red flag is the kind of advertising used by some medspas. Promises like “instant fat loss,” “permanent fairness,” or “no side effects guaranteed” often dominate social media feeds and hoardings, especially in metropolitan areas. But these claims are rarely backed by science or safety disclosures. Unlike hospitals and certified clinics, many medspas operate in a gray area where oversight on marketing is limited. This allows for flashy promotions that can easily blur the line between wellness and medical care, often downplaying risks or overselling results.
Patients are lured in with unrealistic expectations, without being informed about:
This kind of misinformation can be more damaging than the treatment itself.
Board-certified plastic surgeons complete years of intent and painful training, even before completing board certification. Their education consists of 5.5 years of medical school, 3 years of general surgery residency, and then 3 more years of plastic surgery training, followed by comprehensive board certification.
In contrast, many medical spa practitioners may have minimal training in complex surgical and non-surgical procedures.
To safeguard consumers and uphold ethical medical practices, aesthetic treatments must be conducted within hospitals or licensed medical clinics. Here’s why:
Qualified Practitioners: Hospitals confirm that procedures are conducted by licensed plastic surgeons or dermatologists who have undergone extensive training.
Sterile Environment: Hospitals have strict cleanliness procedures, infection control measures, and equipment sterilization protocols in place — essential to any invasive procedure.
Regulatory Oversight: Hospitals and clinics are accountable to medical councils and health authorities. Professional liability insurance experts note that proper medical oversight is essential for patient safety.
Post-Procedure Care: From follow-up appointments to handling complications, hospitals provide continuity of care. If complications do occur, having ready access to emergency medical services can be a lifesaver.
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The impressive growth of the medical spa market is a reflection of consumer demand for aesthetic treatments. However, the documented cases of serious injuries, infections highlight the critical importance of proper medical oversight and regulation.
There is no better medical spa than a hospital. Hospitals accredited by bodies like NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) or NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) follow rigorous standards for clinical safety, hygiene, documentation, and emergency preparedness. These aren’t optional checkboxes — they are non-negotiable protocols that ensure every aesthetic procedure, whether minor or major, is performed under the highest standards of care. Until every medspa is held to the same benchmark, patients must choose safety over convenience or cost. When it comes to your face, your body, and your long-term health, there’s no room for compromise.
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