CSUN On Point

Students and teachers around the world are adapting to virtual instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CSU system has announced classes at its 23 campuses will remain mostly virtual this fall. The Los Angeles Unified School District is still working on its plans.

Some teachers and their students have adapted well to the use of technology, but others have felt the strain, particularly students who cannot participate due to circumstances beyond their control. Some teachers are finding unique ways to keep students engaged – such as one music teacher who used TikTok.

Many questions loom about special education students in particular, and the challenges of giving them what they need. CSUN Associate Professor Vanessa Goodwin is a special education teacher and program specialist. She is Co-Director of the Special Education Literacy Clinic in the Teaching, Learning, and Counseling Consortium. Goodwin said she is learning a lot through this pandemic, particularly about the ramifications for special needs students at all levels.

For starters, student mentors had a hard time adjusting to virtual learning themselves. For many, the pandemic’s virtual school preparation came during spring break, and Goodwin said student mentors and teachers were left to find the ways to connect with their students at home.

Goodwin said there really was not a mechanism for keeping special education students from regressing during a crisis like this.

But Goodwin said some of the current technology was already in use, and luckily for them, students and teachers were already familiar with it. This technology has given them tools to succeed, and no matter what the fall brings, the summer will provide even more time to prepare.

Phyllis Gudoski has taught at both the university and the K-12 levels. She is currently a lecturer in the Special Education Department at CSUN.  She said educators have concerns about students moving to virtual classes, but there is also concern for instructors. Many educators at the K-12 level have never taught online classes before, and Gudoski said there has been a learning curve for both teachers and students.

Not all students have access to reliable computers, and beyond that, getting internet access can also be an issue. Gudoski said the LAUSD has helped students get access to chromebooks, but that may not be enough. And for students with special needs, it’s even tougher. 

California State University-San Bernardino student Jazmin Leanos-Rodriguez said the transition to virtual learning has been extremely challenging for her. She had developed methods for success at school, after struggling academically, by using study groups and study halls, and taking advantage of professors’ office hours and accessibility after class. But now she said she feels her success diminishing, and she’s discouraged. Leanos-Rodriguez said her home life makes it difficult to study, and she said she is considering taking the next semester off, because she doesn’t feel she’s able to absorb the material she’s learning virtually.

Leanos-Rodriguez said the stress of school and the uncertainty of the times have affected her mental health, and she feels genuinely alone since the shutdown. Seeking help virtually doesn’t work for her. She said the frustration causes her to cry sometimes.

Experts agree social distancing and virtual learning can affect many students in many different ways. Gudoski said social and emotional issues play a huge part in educating a well-rounded child or adult. Social skills are what helps people get jobs, and many social skills are learned in the playground and in the classroom.

Perhaps the biggest questions students, teachers, and the community have are: will they ever return to ‘normal’? And, how long will this go on?

Gudoski said this may be the new normal for a while, and students and faculty should be prepared for that. She said until there is a vaccine, which experts admit could take more than a year, schools and campuses will not be able to guarantee the safety of students or teachers.

Producers: Cindy Rodriguez and Brittany Smith

Reporters: Alex Guerrero, Cindy Rodriguez and Brittany Smith

Adriana Alejandre is a Latinx therapist working with communities to meet their mental health needs, and to assist them specifically during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

She started Latinx, a directory and podcast, with relatable and bilingual therapists and other mental health resources especially for the Latinx community.

Alejandre said there can be stigmas against therapy in the Latinx community, and her organization works to stop those.

“Minorities overall do have more stressors, because of the collectivist nature of our culture,” she said. The coronavirus and the overall political climate have also made other people hostile, even racist, to minority communities, which adds to the anxiety. “The darker some people are, the meaner society can get during this pandemic,” she said.

Starting next week, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, she is offering pro bono sessions specifically for farm workers, janitorial and maintenance crews. She said many of these people are forgotten, even though, just like first responders, these workers are putting their lives at risk on a daily basis.“I decided to do something for them, so they can have access to mental health resources,” she said. “There is a rise of depression and anxiety among the Latin community due to the coronavirus, and the uncertainty of the future, and applying for unemployment. When a website is only in English, it creates a great deal of anxiety for this community.” 

After she originally launched the site in 2018, she heard from hundreds of people all across the country who were searching for a Latinx therapist. The resources to reach the needs of her clients took nearly six months to organize.

She is working to recruit around 100 therapists nationwide, and her goal is nearly complete. She plans to put out a link to the application on her instagram, with a referral list to mental health professionals in each state.

But she is worried about the strain on the therapists themselves, too. “There is a limit to a number of sessions, and the number of clients they can bring in for these sessions,” she said. Each therapist is able to set an expiration date for their services.

Two other organizations offering therapy during this stressful time, especially to young people, are Strength United, located in Santa Clarita, Northridge and Van Nuys, and Open Path, which offers a one-time, lifetime membership fee of $60.

Alejandre says she will evaluate the current climate, and consider that in making her decisions for her future campaigns. The virus will end eventually, and the Latin community may still need access to treatment.

“Our next campaign is likely for undocumented folks,” Alejandre said.

Producer: Karina Gutierrez

Video Editor: Cristal Morales Rodriguez

Reporters: Wiam Dahbi, Nicholas Gargiulo, Karina Gutierrez, Ashley Hawn, Cristal Morales Rodriguez and Christian Pineda

The COVID 19 pandemic has forced many businesses and services to shut down in order to cooperate with social distancing and stay-at-home orders, but for some services, like the Los Angeles Public Library, the shutdowns mean even more work.

Librarians have moved books to places where people can get them even during the lockdown, like shelters. And they’ve worked with city officials to help people who relied on the library for internet access find ways to get online.

While library buildings themselves are closed, library staff have been working to upgrade and provide services online through their websites, or through different social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. Another change has been the shift to electronic book checkout. Once libraries open again, readers can also be excited about the elimination of late fees and fines.

Central Library Director Eva Mitnick said she hopes these changes will bring more people back to the library once the lockdowns are over. She says public libraries serve the community in many ways, whether it’s through access to books and the internet, or by being a hub for many other community services.

The move to online resources made the library system make some necessary changes to its website and online services. The website now is much more streamlined and user friendly, and  includes interfaces in six different languages.

Mitnick said that these changes won’t be the last ones though. Library staff and officials will be meeting throughout the pandemic and after, to make sure that the system can stay ahead of the curve once the doors open again.

Producer: Nicholas Gargiulo

Video Editors: Wiam Dahbi and Karina Gutierrez

Reporters: Wiam Dahbi, Nicholas Gargiulo, Karina Gutierrez, Ashley Hawn, Cristal Morales Rodriguez and Christian Pineda

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused closures and postponements for countless performances and productions scheduled throughout the spring and the summer — from Broadway hits to school plays. Among those performances affected, the Cal State Northridge theatre production of Pippin, which came to an abrupt halt about a month before it was scheduled to open.

The CSUN Theater Department had slated its production of the 1972 musical-for a two week run beginning April 3rd. The Spring 2020 production was set to be held at the campus theater in Nordhoff Hall, and it featured a twist to the classic musical that would resonate specifically with CSUN students.

The play’s cast was devastated when they received the news that the production was being cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The cast received the news via the theater department’s Instagram page, @theatrecsun, even before director Garry Lennon was able to tell the cast himself. The cast had already put in 10 weeks of rehearsal at 20 hours a week. 

However, Pippin will be back.

Two weeks into the quarantine, Lennon emailed the cast informing them that the show will be the first show put on by the Department in the Fall 2020 semester. The plan is for rehearsals to resume in August. The graduating seniors in the cast have been invited back, so they will not miss out on their opportunity to take part in the show. 

Excitement had already been building among the cast members eager to put on a show. Ensemble member Angelo Masset spoke with On Point reporter Candice Romero about the amount of work that had gone into rehearsals, and what the cancellation meant to the cast.

Romero also spoke with Cassandra Koukourikos, who was set to play Pippin’s stepmother Fastrada.

Cast member Arden Agos explained what she expects from the fall production, and her excitement moving forward.

Pippin is a Broadway classic, with music and lyrics by composer Stephen Schwartz, and story by Roger Hirson and Bob Fosse. It’s about a prince, named Pippin, who goes to war to get approval from his father.  Later, however, Pippin kills his father, and becomes king. He falls in love, and then finds himself struggling with love, magic and regret.

On Point reporter Preston Mitchell spoke with director Lennon about CSUN’s contemporary adaptation of the musical.

Catherine, played by Rebecca Curci, is Pippin’s love interest, who helps him as he grows into adulthood. Pippin must decide whether he will settle down with his love, or continue to perform magic with a troupe of performers.

Aiden Kastner, who plays Pippin, talked to Mitchell about the lead role, and his thoughts on the modern revisioning of the character.

Director and cast members agreed that although Pippin is set in the Middle Ages, its message holds relevance to today’s audience, especially college students.

The new opening night is scheduled for September 18, 2020.

Moderators: Preston Mitchell and Candice Romero

Producer: Liliana Ramirez

Anchor: Liliana Ramirez

Video Editor: Lilibeth Morales

Reporters: Bea Barros, Manny Luisi, Preston Mitchell, Lilibeth Morales, Liliana Ramirez and Candice Romero

Proposition 64 passed on November 8, 2016 in the state of California. As a result, adults over the age of 21 can possess and privately use marijuana. In 2018, commercial sales and production of the substance also became part of California’s economy. It has become a rapidly growing industry, but the new laws have not erased the confusion and controversy around the substance, and how it can be legally and safely used.

Last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that California has the largest legal marijuana market in the world, with more dispensaries, recreational users and consumer choices than ever before. But the new legalities did not erase the past completely.

“[Many people] thought that prior convictions they had would be cleared,” said attorney Lisa Mattern, who specializes in marijuana cases. Thousands have been overturned in California, but the process is not simple or automatic, and the debate over when and whether to overturn those convictions continues.

Mattern also said law enforcement officers still face challenges when pulling over drivers who are under the influence of marijuana. NBC Los Angeles reported last year “an increase of up to six percent in the number of highways crashes in states where recreational use of marijuana is now legal, compared to states where the same use is illegal.”

Mattern said when an officer smells marijuana in a vehicle,  the DUI investigation begins. But the substance can remain in a person’s body long after the effects have worn off, making the results of field tests problematic. The varying levels of THC in cannabis products also deliver mixed results when consumed. There are no standardized limits or tests yet, but data does show that marijuana impairs driving.

“[Police] don’t have the tools [to test for it],” Mattern said. “They don’t have any field sobriety tests.”

Aside from the legal issues, there are also health issues remaining for many recreational users. Despite a common belief that they can’t, some marijuana users do develop dependency, and, according to Healthline.com, can exhibit “mood swings, a lack of energy, and cognitive impairment.” when they stop using.

“There’s an assumption that because it’s legal, it means that there are no risks that come along with it,” said CSUN University Counseling Services Drug and Alcohol Liaison Dr. Steve Silver. He said a lot of users are misinformed about the effects of the drug.

New methods of consuming marijuana, like edibles and wax, can alter the time it takes for effects to be felt, and the magnitude of those effects. “It can be quite unsettling,” Silver said, when a reaction is stronger than anticipated. Levels of THC can vary greatly. The risk is ever-present to become dependent on the substance, or experience discomfort while consuming it.

California is among 21 states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. But the future of legalization remains uncertain due to the lack of support from the federal government, a growing range of properties and strains, and inevitable comparisons to alcohol regulations in the nation.

Producer: Alex Guerrero

Anchor: Brittany Smith

Social Media Editor: Brittany Smith

Reporters: Alex Guerrero, Cindy Rodriguez and Brittany Smith

Many college campuses across the nation are ill-equipped to deal with the surge of students seeking help for mental health issues.

According to the California Faculty Association, the ratio of students to counselor should be about 1,000:1. But of the 23 California State University campuses, only three meet this recommendation, with most campuses having more than 2,500 students to one counselor.

“Every place could always use more staff, and we have a desire to support people as best we can,” said Dr. Steve Silver, from CSUN’s University Counseling Services. Silver said CSUN counselors are readily available to students who are in crisis. Still, the average student may have to wait two weeks to book a first appointment.

Depression, anxiety and social anxiety were three of the most common issues reported by college students. They face many of the same problems as their predecessors: exams, new environments, peer pressures. They also face some new issues: uncertainty about the future, job opportunities, and financial burdens on a larger scale, in the wake of the Great Recession and with the increase in student debt nationwide.

Between 2009-2015, the number of college students seeking on-campus counseling rose by 30 percent. Many colleges and universities are struggling to keep up with the demand, meaning many students have to go elsewhere for help.

But those students who do seek treatment off campus often find that the lack of counseling services is not just a college problem. “It can definitely get to a point where it feels there aren’t enough of us,” Associate Marriage and Family Therapist Amani Williams said. “It can definitely get hard [for us] to see everyone at the same time, and try to be effective still.”

Once students find treatment off campus, they still have to pay for it. Therapy sessions can cost upwards of $150, and many students find they just don’t have the funds necessary to pay for them.

“Money should never be a barrier to getting help, or to getting any mental health treatment,” Clinical Director of ACT Health and Wellness Dr. Megan McDonald said. “There are so many resources for those people who don’t have insurance, or those who don’t have a lot of money.” Many practices don’t charge a co-pay, and others offer patients the opportunity to pay on a sliding scale, where the cost is dictated by the patient’s ability to pay. McDonald said there are resources out there, if students know where to look.

One silver-lining, as more students flock to campus counseling services, is the de-stigmatization of therapy. “I think people are seeing therapy more for what it is, which is the ability to get support from a caring individual who is trained to help support people,” Silver said. “People are experiencing therapy as a more grounded thing, instead of a mysterious thing that happens behind closed doors.”

This is a growing trend not just among college students, but in the larger population as well, as more Americans feel comfortable talking about their mental health with family, friends and on social media.

CSUN students may have to wait a little longer for the situation to improve in the CSU. But if they are in need of help, they can find resources for group therapy sessions, workshops and individual services at Bayramian Hall.

Moderator: Manny Luissi

Producer: Manny Luissi

Anchor: Liliana Ramirez

Social Media Editor: Lilibeth Mireles

Reporters: Bea Barros, Manny Luissi, Lilibeth Mireles, Preston Mitchell, Liliana Ramirez and Candice Romero

Self expression through fashion is not a new concept, but Harajuku enthusiasts have taken the style of J-fashion a step further than self expression, creating a community in which they feel protected and inspired.

Once a month Harajuku fashion enthusiasts parade along 1st street in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, in bright colors and bold patterns for what is called Harajuku Day. Some participants wear dresses like those that might be seen on old fashioned dolls, while others choose a more gothic-influenced look.

“Just being around other creatives, and being in a space that is very positive, gives you room to grow,” said co-organizer of the Valley Tea and Cake Society, Theodore Danielle Doncaster.

In the late 1970s, Tokyo’s Harajuku District became a center for young people’s fashion retail. FRUiTS Magazine, founded in 1997, became a platform for those who wanted to express themselves through their wardrobe. But more than 20 years later, this form of self expression is not only for individuals, but also for bringing a diverse group together to build a positive and uplifting community.

“The driving force of going out and putting everything together is community,” Harajuku Day Organizer Monique Morentin-Guzman said. “You want to be able to feel like yourself around other people.” She said Harajuku Day is all about expression through fashion, and about putting on this style of clothing, as a kind of ‘armor for the soul’.

Harajuku Day participants, and even those called “Harajuku Lifestylers,” who choose to dress this way daily, said they feel it is a protection from the negative aspects of society, and a chance to express their ideal self. They said Harajuku fashion can also be seen as a platform for people to rebel against fashion norms, especially those defining gender norms.

“The idea of Harajuku fashion is very punk rock,” Doncaster said. “It came out of a need to rebel against society’s expectations, especially for women.”

The Japanese Fashion meet-up in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo started in 2015, and has become a safe haven for those who desire to go out in fully coordinated outfits and be a part of a positive environment. “It is a good, friendly, welcoming, and wholesome environment,” regular participant Jasmine Rose said.

Some misconceptions still surround Harajuku Day enthusiasts. Participants said they are often asked whether  they have jobs, and how they can take part in such a bizarre past time. Participants said they respond that they do have normal jobs, and normal lives, and that this is how they express themselves. “I feel like the expression of this is my soul,” Doncaster said. ” I am wearing it as armor. It is a way of embracing your ideal self.”

Harajuku Day fashion is becoming a popular way to express one’s personal style, and Harajuku fashion is becoming more normalized in American culture. 

“It’s a hobby and it’s a lifestyle,” Morentin-Guzman said.

 
Moderator: Nicholas Gargiulo

Producer: Christian Pineda

Anchor: Cristal Morales Rodriguez

Social Media Editor: Ashley Hawn

Reporters: Wiam Dahbi, Nicholas Gargiulo, Ashley Hawn, Karina Gutierrez, Cristal Morales Rodriguez and Christian Pineda

When it comes to the way women’s sports are embraced and viewed around the world, there is much room for change and progression.

Recently, women’s leagues like the WNBA and the NSWL, as well as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team saw their players take legal action to get better treatment and pay. The WNBA created a contractual binding agreement (CBA) with the players for better wages, more sponsorship and marketing, and better travel conditions for players. The USWNT sued the U.S. Soccer Federation on claims of purposeful gender discrimination.

Empowerment in women’s sports aligns with the empowerment of women in society. Stars like Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams, Elena Delle Donne, and Symone Biles are popular figures, and more recognized for their athletic abilities than past female athletes. With the rise of social media, women’s sports has proven to be of interest to many, but even when women’s sports draw large crowds and generated more revenue, women athletes are still paid less, and advertised and marketed less than their male counterparts. Less than four percent of all sports marketing is around women’s sports. When female athletes are marketed, the message is often more about their looks than their athletic ability.

“There were a lot of times when I was told that I appeared masculine,” All-American Tri-Athlete Erikca Wilson said, “not just by males, but by women who did not compete.”

“The body is not a particularly masculine thing,” CSUN Communication Studies Professor Ronda Picarelli said. “The body is a human entity.” But, she said, female athletes are often scrutinized for their muscular and defined physiques. The stigma around women’s bodies that are conditioned for sport is related to the misogyny of mainstream media.

Men don’t get this kind of comment about their bodies, Wilson said. “You hear this a lot with female athletes, and that’s very disparaging, for young female athletes that are coming up and looking at the way that the ‘standard, mainstream female body’ is supposed to look, as opposed to the female athlete.”

“You can’t tell that underneath [women athletes’] jerseys, they’re muscular,” Youth soccer coach Jocelyn Castillo said. “But when they go out to the ESPYS or some type of award, and you see them in a dress, then you get those comments like ‘oh she looks like a man, she looks like a man’. But she can’t perform well when she doesn’t have that muscle to body them out.”

The stigma and negative perception around female athletes’ bodies also play a role in the way young girls and women see themselves as athletes. This, along with the low wages, and the lack of marketing to make women’s leagues successful, may steer young girls away from pursuing sports seriously. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, at age 14, girls quit playing sports at twice the rate of boys, and by 17, over 50 percent of girls have given up their sport. The study says “67 percent of the girls said they felt society doesn’t encourage girls to play sports.

Women’s sports aren’t as popular as men’s for many reasons pertaining to advertising and marketing of women’s leagues. But there are still some who think the women’s sports may need some adjustments to make them more entertaining to watch. In softball, the fields are smaller to allow for more home runs; in women’s boxing, there are only ten rounds; in golf, women tee-off from a closer tee. Many have argued that basketball should follow suit—and that women should play on a lowered rim.

WNBA and two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne said if she could change one rule in the WNBA, it would be to “lower the rim”. She said lowering the rim isn’t just about the dunk; it’s also about the future of the game. Many feel that lowering the rim would cheapen or degrade the women’s game, because some women have been playing successfully on 10 foot rims. But Delle Donne said when they shortened the 3-point line for women, it didn’t cheapen the game.

Loyola Marymount University Women’s Basketball Coach Taja Edwards agreed, and said there is not much to lose by trying the rim at 9.5 feet.

Youth coach Castillo said she noticed that lowering the rim makes a difference in youth sports. She said she coaches in a league with a girls basketball team and a co-ed basketball team; the co-ed team plays on 9-foot rims, and the girls teams play on 8-foot rims. She said most of the young girls couldn’t shoot on 9-foot rims, so they lowered them, but in the co-ed league, they kept the rims at nine feet.

“Would people want to pay money to come watch something that they can dunk on themselves?” former college athlete Arielle Green asked. But LMU Coach Edwards says lowering the rim in the WNBA and women’s basketball, from 10 feet to 9.5 feet, would hardly be noticed by spectators, but would make it easier for more athletic women to get above the rim.

Still, rule changes don’t address the underlying issue of gender discrimination, and the refusal to properly market and advertise women’s sports to make them profitable, and easier for consumers to find and watch.

“There’s strength in numbers,” Wilson said. She said women’s sports needs advocates—male athletes and owners who will show their support during women’s games, and use their platform to open up the space for women in their respective sports.

Green pointed out that the media make sure to feature the many celebrities who show up at NBA games, like Snoop Dogg, Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson. She said that would benefit women’s sports if it had the same coverage. Late NBA star Kobe Bryant was one male athlete who showed a lot of support for women’s sports and women’s professional teams.

Lastly, women’s sports are often scheduled at times that make it difficult for an audience to tune in. Castillo said the Women’s World Cup Final was scheduled the same day as the Copa América final; she wanted to watch both games, and she knew other fans had the same dilemma.

She said it comes down to owners, leagues and federations communicating better, to give women’s sports an equal opportunity to be supported by fans.

Moderator: Brittany Smith

Producer: Cindy Rodriguez

Anchor: Amari Martin

Social Media Editor: Sayaka Yoshii

Reporters: Alex Guerrero, Amari Martin, Cindy Rodriguez, Brittany Smith and Sayaka Yoshii

After sharp criticism, the California State University Board of Trustees has pushed back until 2022 its vote on a proposal requiring a fourth year of quantitative reasoning for incoming high school students. Implementation would now occur in 2027.

In his justification for the plan, Timothy White, outgoing CSU Chancellor, said, “the nature of work in the future will require more quantitive reasoning. We want underserved students to be competitive in the future of work.” However, the proposal drew push back from such groups as the Campaign for College Opportunity, The Education True — West, the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.

“There was no data, and there was not a study done on how this proposal might impact our students,” said Sasha Renée Pérez, Student Engagement Manager for the Campaign for College Opportunity. To better understand how these changes would affect graduating seniors, the Campaign for College Opportunity conducted its own research by examining data from the class of 2018. “The results indicated to us what we expected,” Perez said. “[The plan] affected low-income students, black students and Latinx students the most.”

Loren Dittmar, a high school academic counselor in Simi Valley, said high schools would need time to prepare in order to add a mandatory fourth year of mathematics to their curriculum. Dittmar previously worked as a high school counselor in Georgia, where four years of math is already mandatory to get into college. “I think that once you’ve implemented the structure to make it work, it could be a good thing, because you’re raising the standard,” he said. “But without having the support to make sure students are prepared, then, well, we don’t want to lose people along the way.”

The current requirement for CSU eligibility is three years of mathematics that includes Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Proponents of the new plan cite CSU enrollment statistics suggesting that 93 percent of admitted students have already taken a fourth year, but critics suggest that requiring a fourth year will make it even more difficult for students to obtain a university degree, particularly those in districts receiving less funding.

CSUN Mathematics Professor Katherine Stevenson was co-chair of the CSU Quantitative Reasoning Task Force. She said her team’s report was a broader examination of quantitative reasoning in the California education sphere, and included representation not just from CSU and UC campuses, but also industry and government professionals. The task force made four suggestions to the trustees, one of which was chosen.

“It’s important to point out that there were some differences in what the task force was recommending, and what ultimately the CSU proposed,” Stevenson said. “Where we differed was that we said ‘if it takes you four years to get through your existing math requirement, that’s ok with us.’ The CSU required an additional year.”

In the end, most critics agreed that the proposal was an incomplete, and, in some sense discriminatory fix to a larger problem of funds and educational support. For now, the CSU is back at the drawing board as it attempts to address issues of low graduation rates and employment opportunities for its graduates.

Moderator: Liliana Ramirez

Producer: Lilibeth Mireles

Anchor: Bea Barros

Social Media Editor: Emmanuel Luissi

Reporters: Bea Barros, Emmanuel Luissi, Lilibeth Mireles, Preston Mitchell, Liliana Ramirez, and Candice Romero

In 2018, more than 17 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures and surgeries were performed in the United States. This represents a 2 percent increase from the year before. But prices for these procedures can be high, and as result some people opt for the black market, risking permanent damage to their bodies.

“A lot of these medical spas that are popping up just want the end goal of making money,” said Doctor Amir Parvinchi. “So they will place RN’s (Registered Nurses), who are not supervised, for injecting people, and there are a lot of complications.”

Breast Augmentation is the most performed cosmetic procedure, costing around $3,800. Black market practices can be far cheaper, using industrial silicone and watered down silicone, leaving women with potential disfigurement, and even death.

“Everything that we use is FDA regulated,” said Nurse Practitioner Esmeralda Rodriguez. “There are a lot of illegal things out there: filler and botox things that look like the real thing, and are not.”

Botox is a toxin that is safe when injected in small doses. It is important to visit a certified dermatologist or a plastic surgeon to receive a safe amount of botox.

“One thing that should be a red flag [to consumers] is ‘botox banks’,” said Bella Skin and Body Medical Aesthetics Director Natalie Dempsey. “Some are real, and the botox is actually real, but many are not. If you are getting it at a price that seems too low, it is [probably] too good to be true.”

Non-invasive cosmetic procedures are safer than invasive surgical procedures, and can produce the same result for patients. But non-invasive procedures are not permanent, and last, on average, about three months.

“Before [these non-invasive procedures were available], people used to spend a lot of money and get facelifts, which were very expensive,” Parvinchi said. “Some of these [cheaper non-invasive or minimally invasive] procedures are kind of replacing those. You also reduce the risk of infection and bleeding astronomically when you compare it to surgery.”

More and more people are leaving the country for cosmetic procedures to save money. Brazil is now the plastic surgery capital of the world.

“Even in America, there are loopholes [for practitioners to get around licensing rules], and we are highly regulated by the FDA,” Dempsey said. “A lot of different countries don’t have these regulations. They will inject you with silicone.”

The most common side effects from procedures are hematoma, which is a pocket of blood that looks like a large bruise, and infections.

“Several months ago we had a lady come in who had a big abscess in her buttocks area because she had this Brazilian lift,” Parvinchi said. “Whether it was done in a non sterile fashion [or not], it caused a big infection in her backside, which tracked down to her lower extremities”.

The global cosmetic procedure industry is expected to be worth almost $44 billion by 2025.

“I feel like it’s become so popular,” said Rodriguez. “[It’s] more popular than going to get a facelift or… a chin implant.”

Moderator: Carol Santamaria

Producer: Karen Ruiz

Anchor: Ali Bash

Social Media Editor: Karen Ruiz

Reporters: Ali Bash, Zach Ferber, Ryder Mcconville, Karen Ruiz, Carol Santamaria and Yarazeth Tapia