BOTOX
SYRINGE in hand and dressed in his blue hospital scrubs, Joshua James prepares to inject his patient with Botox.
But the man wielding the toxin is not a doctor and his premises are not an approved clinic. James is a beautician – who works out of his garden shed.
A Sunday Mirror investigator went undercover to expose his dodgy practice after a tip-off from a previous client.
The medical world fear he is just one of a growing number of rogue practitioners offering the increasingly affordable and popular wrinkle-banishing treatment at a risk to clients’ lives.
Our probe comes two months after the NHS revealed it is picking up a mounting bill correcting botched procedures performed by non-medical practitioners like James. According to the Human Medicines Regulations Act 2012, anyone can inject Botox but only AFTER a doctor, dentist, nurse practitioner or registered pharmacist prescribes it following a face-to-face consultation to establish medical history.
But James falsely insisted to our reporter: “You don’t need to see a doctor to have Botox.”
Paul Banwell, a plastic surgeon at the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, told us James was “absolutely” flouting the law.
He said: “There is no question he is. The bottom line is, if they are not medically qualified, you have to see a doctor beforehand and be assessed. And I’d have serious concerns for anybody agreeing to have medical treatment in a garden shed.”
Our investigation began by sending a request to follow James’ Smile Makeovers Instagram account.
It advertises “Botox parties” for eight clients a time with free treatment for the host. One post shows James injecting his own cheek with a substance in the shed. His prices start at £100 for 1ml of dermal filler, while “one area” of Botox costs £220.
I have serious concerns for anybody agreeing to have medical treatment in a garden shed PAUL BANWELL PLASTIC SURGEON
SYRINGE
Hertfordshire and boasted that his credentials were better than a nurse’s. He said: “A nurse changes beds. The cosmetic world is totally different to the NHS, so you don’t really have nurses.
“You’ve got your consultants, plastic surgeons then you’ve got your cosmetic practitioners like myself. We’re certainly not nurses. We’re more highly trained.”
Asked if he was listed by the General Medical Council, he insisted: “GMC is for your doctors and prescribing nurses. Forget GMC. It’s of no concern to yourself unless you were seeing a doctor and wanted to check the doctor out.”
He went on: “You’re thinking into this a little too much. Far too much to be honest with you. It’s silly to do so.”
James said he had thousands of clients across 16 clinics and sees anything up to 40 people a day for a “mixture of things”, including Botox, cheek augmentation and lip filler. Guidance from BAAPS states medical consultations are necessary so patients can give their health background and list any allergies, medications or conditions.
But James did not ask a single question about our reporter’s medical history, not even her age.
When our investigator asked if a consultation with a doctor was necessary, James replied: “You don’t need to see