With cosmetic surgeries more popular than ever, it's no surprise that the industry of facelifts, breast implants and Botox is booming. This trend, reported by the Boston Globe, has led to the rise of medical spas or facilities that offer cosmetic surgery procedures without the hospital-like atmosphere. While it may be enticing to visit one of these locations for an injection or laser treatment, many question whether the spa setting is as safe as an accredited facility.

"A lot of people assume that the person treating them in a white coat is a physician, and they don't ask," the director of dermatology laser and cosmetic center at Massachusetts General Hospital told the Boston Globe. Making such an assumption could lead to trouble later on down the line.

According to the news source, The Bay State alone has 250 medical spas. While some are affiliated with local universities, others are standalone. Many of these locations may offer a relaxed setting, but the staff members there are not required to be licensed and regulated by the state, provided the facility is owned by or associated with a physician. In fact, these sites do not require a doctor to be physically on-site.

Legislators are working on this issue, though some roadblocks have prevented formal laws from passing in the state. The potential laws to tighten regulation on medical spas met resistance as it passed through the Massachusetts State House in the summer of 2011, as the medical professionals who helped draft the bill often disagreed with one another.

Some lawmakers also made claims that the bill lacked evidence supporting the notion that medical spas showed "a pattern of bad outcomes." The news source points out, however, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received 930 reports concerning dermal filler injuries over a five-year period, many of which occurred because the practitioner delivering the injectable medicine was untrained and operating in a facility that was not a health clinic.

Still, the demand for medical spa facilities seems to be driving the market. A research report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc., projects that in the future, nonsurgical procedures that aim to remove excess body fat and reduce the signs of aging will become the leading services sought by those visiting medical spas.

According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, patients should find out if the medical spa has a licensed, board-certified physician responsible for oversight, trained and licensed personnel performing the procedures and if all treatments are FDA approved. It is important that you do your homework, as you should on anything that can affect not only your appearance but your health and safety as well.