KUALA LUMPUR, Nov xx — The booming aesthetic industry was valued to grow over US$999 million (about RM4.378 billion) by 2026, according to then domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi in 2022.

It’s no surprise that everyone wants a piece of this very lucrative pie.

Some treatments – intravenous (IV) drips for skin whitening – advertised by local beauty centres appear dubious, but are gaining traction with Malaysians, judging by the number of followers on their TikTok and other social media accounts.

Malay Mail spoke with some medical professionals to find out more about these trending treatments, and how concerned we should be.

Dr Ungku Mohd Shahrin Ungku Mohd Zaman, president of the Registered Aesthetic Doctors Malaysia, flatly declared there is "no such thing” as skin-whitening IV drips.

Further, drips cannot be given in non-medical facilities to begin with, said Dr Ruban Nathan, former chairman of the Cosmetic Dermatology & Laser Medicine Board under the Malaysian Dermatological Association.

Dr Amelia Siah Siang Yee, founder of aesthetic chain Aglow Clinic, added that IV drips are only permissible in medical clinics for emergencies, hydration, or to address specific deficiencies.

Such unregulated treatments can lead to serious health risks, including organ failure, severe allergic reactions, and even death, Dr Ungku Mohd Shahrin and Dr Siah said.

Malay Mail checked out some of these aesthetic establishments in the Klang Valley to learn more about the mystery contents of these miracle IV drips, and here’s how it went.

Some of the beauty centres that offered IV drips covered the drip bottle, so it was a no-go on that score.

Some centres used a drip bottle marked "Sodium Chloride 0.9 per cent”, which is supposed to look clear like plain water, according to the professionals Malay Mail consulted.

A beauty centre in Puchong, Selangor that offered this skin-whitening IV treatment showed one drip bag filled with a yellow fluid and another bag filled with a milk-like fluid in its promotional video, which the owner admitted in a recent live stream on TikTok that it did not have the Health Ministry’s approval.

Another beauty centre in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur claimed to use "glutathione” and collagen in their whitening drips.

Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally produced by the liver. However, it has also been widely commercially produced to address certain conditions.

Beyond IV drips

Malay Mail also found beauty centres offering Botulinum Toxin injections also known as "botox”, breast and buttock fillers via injections, and that there are vendors on e-commerce platforms like Shopee selling fillers and advertising their usage for the same body parts.

"Breast fillers and buttocks fillers are not indicated. Not even doctors are allowed to do that.

"This is crazy, I don’t know who got the idea,” Dr Ungku Mohd Shahrin said, adding that patients would return with an infection due to the said fillers.

Such procedures are not medically recognised in Malaysia, a senior official from the Health Ministry told Malay Mail when contacted for verification, declining to be named.

The legality of procedures and the status of registered clinics and doctors can be checked here.