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Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues

SOCIAL

While the microneedle patch is frequently used for cosmetic purposes, the microneedle patch can also reinforce unachievable beauty standards. In a way, the microneedle patch can change how individuals approach skin color and appearances on a wide scale. Especially, the fact that the microneedle patch is frequently used to deliver whitening essences and treatments to whiten the skin is indicative that the patch leads to a greater adherance of colorist beauty standards*, meaning that individuals with fairer skin are favored over darker skin. With drastic physical changes becoming more and more accessible to the general public, the microneedle can create a greater pressure on individuals to change their appearance in relation to current, unhealthy beauty standards.

*= S.C-1

Self-administration eliminates the assessment and screening phase of the recipient’s medical history by a healthcare professional prior to receiving the microneedle patch thus creating a potentially dangerous situation for the recipient*. Moreover, once the person has administered the microneedle patch on himself or herself, there can be instances in which there is no supervision by a medical professional or federal government official following the administration. Should the recipient experience an adverse vaccine reaction, there would be no supervision of this.  The microneedle patch's self-administration aspect can lead to little government oversight, and has the high potential of breaking basic tenets of medical assurance. Furthermore, there is a danger of  someone applying the microneedle patch onto someone without their full consent***. The discreet nature of the patch allows this to happen, and with little government oversight, can break the medical laws in which the patient must consent to the treatments done to them.

* = S.C-2

** = S.C-3

*** = S.C-4

The microneedle patch will provide vaccinations and treatments for impoverished peoples, but in impoverished communities can be exploited in the process. For instance, in Papua New Guinea, poor communities were encouraged to partake in one of the first research studies that first utilized the microneedle patch on human beings, being exposed to risks and dangers that were not educated to them*. While in this circumstance, the community benefited from the patch, the patch's ease of application and its unassuming appearance can lead to many poor communities to gravitate towards using microneedle patches, regardless of any dangers that may occur*. This can lead to pharmaceutical companies benefiting from the sale of their patches, leaving poorer communities to use patches that they are not trained with, and possibly resulting in infections and side effects as a result.

* = S.C-5

Innovation with a Price

LEGAL

The video above details the ease of applying a microneedle patch, which could prove to be careless without a health administrator for certain applications.

ETHICAL

FROM DARK TO WHITE, WHITE TO EVEN WHITER

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