Needle Nation

WE USE THEM TO FREEZE OUR WRINKLES, PLUMP UP OUR LIPS, AND SCULPT OUR CHEEKBONES. BUT THAT ALL COMES WITH ONE VERY IMPORTANT ASTERISK: INJECTIONS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE PERSON HOLDING THE SYRINGE. 

- Elizabeth Siegel

“You’d be amazed how many times I have to sneak around husbands’ schedules,” says Sal Nadkarni. “I’m all about discretion.” Nadkarni, a cosmetic physician in Beverly Hills, isn’t being discreet for the reasons you might think. It’s because he makes house calls to administer Botox and fillers to housewives, reality-TV stars, and celebrities. The thing is, a cosmetic physician isn’t necessarily a dermatologist. Nadkarni is a primary-care physician. And he doesn’t administer injectables in a doctor’s office. In fact, he doesn’t have an office. “Cosmetic physician isn’t a residency training program, so you can’t know how much training a physician has,” he admits. “I’ve injected Botox thousands of times and am familiar with the musculature of the face, but a lot of shady stuff happens in the injectables industry. It’s a cash-paying business, and a lot of people want in.”