TOPIC: Counterfeit PE Filler

The counterfeit goods industry is a $500 billion per year industry. The prevalence of counterfeit goods in our society is astounding, and you\'d be surprised what unethical/illegal manufacturers are ripping off just to make a quick buck. I very highly and strongly recommend to recipients of PE fillers to have your doctor not only open up the boxes in front of you, but take a picture of the unique batch/unit numbers on the box and product. Confirming the batch/unit numbers with the manufacturer is the *only* way to truly know if you have received a valid authentic product.

A proactive strategy would be to contact a product manager, from the filler manufacturer, before your procedure, tell them you have an upcoming procedure and that you\'d like for them to be ready to confirm a batch/unit number on the day and time of your procedure. This way there\'s no possibility of bait and switch. Within a few seconds of opening the product in front of you, right in the operating room, you\'ll get a quick confirmation whether the product you\'re about to receive is the real deal. This is a reasonable request of any patient, and any doctor that resists should raise a red flag.

This is a reasonable request of any patient, and any doctor that resists should raise a red flag.

It is, and you can make that request clear at your initial consultation and if they resist you\'re done.

It is, and you can make that request clear at your initial consultation and if they resist you\'re done.

If you make the request at the initial consultation, you give the facility the knowledge and time to change the product beforehand. At that point, the only way to truly confirm that you\'re getting authentic product is to have a manufacturer\'s product manager give you a visual and verbal confirmation as to how the product is packaged from the lab, and you\'ll need to visually confirm product freshness (seal hasn\'t been opened), followed by calling in to confirm the batch/unit number that is printed on the actual product itself. Many liquid-based medical products have a seal wrapping, similar to what you see with hot sauce, which cracks when open. It makes it very obvious to tell whether the product has been opened before, or tampered with.