Fake Chinese Botox leaves women with ‘frozen faces’
FAKE Botox from China is flooding the Irish market and causing havoc for unsuspecting customers, according to a leading cosmetic doctor.
Dr Patrick Treacy of the Ailesbury Clinic says that some clinics offering cheap Botox and ‘Botox house parties’ are using a cheaper fake version of the drug which leaves some women looking like they’ve had a stroke.
The wrinkle-freezing drug is also being administered by unqualified people.
In Ireland, only a qualified doctor can administer Botox, which is a prescription drug. However, Dr Treacy warned that some beauticians are regularly injecting the drug at so called ‘Botox parties’.
He says he has seen three women in the past month who have come to him after their ‘Faux-tox’ injections went wrong.‘I had one woman who had it done a week before her wedding – she looked like she had had a stroke. One side of her face collapsed. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do for her.
‘Another woman who I am treating at the moment had similar problems and her eyelid also closed up. She has taken weeks off work and says she was near
A bride had it done before her wedding and ended up looking like a stroke victim
suicidal. She’s been treated with “threads” to lift up one side of her face.
‘In Ireland we have some of the tightest legislation in Europe surrounding the administration and provision of Botox and that’s great. But it’s one thing to have the legislation, it’s another entirely to enforce it.
‘Dublin has been flooded with cheap Asian Botox, mostly from China, and it’s not good.
‘I would say to people out there considering cheap Botox treatments – if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.’
Allergan, the company that manufactures Botox, has previously warned that there are fake versions on the international markets, mainly originating in China and South Korea.
A Dublin Airport source confirmed that customs officers were increasingly seizing illegal Botox products.
Botox, which takes just min-
A medical procedure utes to administer and has no recovery period, temporarily eliminates wrinkles by freezing facial muscles. A typical one-off treatment costs upwards of €450 in a reputable clinic. But the treatment can also be availed of at so-called ‘Botox house parties’ for as little as €250 per session.
The effects of Botox, fake and real, wear off after about four months so even if a treatment goes wrong, it will not be permanent. But Dr Treacy warns that just a few months of facial disfigurement can tip some clients into depression.
‘Botox is a very private thing and the majority of women I see don’t even tell their husbands or partners they’re doing it. But when it’s gone wrong, it’s very easy to see you’ve had it.
‘This is not a trivial matter, it affects a lot of people. I would say about 40% of Irish women of a certain age use Botox.’
‘Facial disfigurement can trigger depression’