Home / Health / Rogue Beauty Therapists Inject Illegal Botox, Hospitalize Dozens
Rogue Beauty Therapists Inject Illegal Botox, Hospitalize Dozens
27 Jul
Summary
- Regulators warned about illegal Botox-style injections in 2023, but failed to act
- Dozens hospitalized with paralysis-like symptoms and breathing difficulties
- Practitioners using unlicensed Korean-made product called Toxpia
In November 2023, experts in aesthetic medicine warned the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) about rogue beauty therapists using unlicensed versions of botulinum toxin to perform illegal Botox-style injections. However, the MHRA failed to take action, and this month, the situation escalated as dozens of people across the UK were hospitalized with serious, paralysis-like symptoms and breathing difficulties.
The outbreak has exposed "gaping holes" in regulation, prompting senior doctors to call on the Government to ban medically unqualified practitioners from administering cosmetic injections. Experts say the practitioners involved were using a Korean-manufactured product called Toxpia, which is not licensed for use in the UK, and were injecting clients in salons and private homes with no clinical oversight.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has now launched an inquiry into the matter, and the practitioners are said to be cooperating. The Government had previously launched a consultation on new rules for the aesthetics sector in 2023, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has suggested a crackdown is imminent.
