When "Nothing Happened" Becomes Your Standard: The FDA's RF Microneedling Warning and the Normalization of Deviance
Aesthetics, Aesthetics Industry, Aesthetics Practice, Cosmetic Medicine, Functional Medicine, Med Spa, Med Spa Business Development, Medical Aesthetics, Medical Aesthetics Industry, Medical Director, Medical Practice, Medical Spa, Compliance, Safety, Medical Director Oversight, FDA, Regulatory Compliance Randy Stepp Aesthetics, Aesthetics Industry, Aesthetics Practice, Cosmetic Medicine, Functional Medicine, Med Spa, Med Spa Business Development, Medical Aesthetics, Medical Aesthetics Industry, Medical Director, Medical Practice, Medical Spa, Compliance, Safety, Medical Director Oversight, FDA, Regulatory Compliance Randy Stepp

When "Nothing Happened" Becomes Your Standard: The FDA's RF Microneedling Warning and the Normalization of Deviance

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. Engineers had known about the O ring problem for nine years. They warned against launching in freezing temperatures. Management overruled them. Seven astronauts died.

Seventeen years later, Columbia disintegrated during reentry. Engineers had documented foam strikes for 22 years. Each time nothing happened, the problem became more normal. Until it killed seven more astronauts.

The pattern that destroyed two orbiters has a name: normalization of deviance. And it's happening in medical spas right now.

On October 15, 2025, the FDA issued a warning about RF microneedling devices, documenting burns, scarring, fat loss, disfigurement, and nerve damage. The agency made it clear: RF microneedling is a medical procedure, not a cosmetic treatment.

How many practices are performing it with eight hour trained aestheticians, absent medical directors, and no emergency protocols? The same pattern. The same risk.

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