Are you at risk from black market Botox?

The Botox business is booming and for many women, injectables are an extension of their beauty routine. Indeed, they account for nine out of 10 cosmetic procedures performed today. But this ever-increasing demand has also seen a growing number of unqualified and inexperienced injectors cashing in on the trend – often with devastating results.

Shocking figures show 83 per cent of injectables are being performed by people with no professional medical qualifications.

Advertising their services on social media, they offer cut-price deals using products not approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, without any insurance or care for the patient’s safety.

While injectable fillers are not classified as drugs, so do not require a prescription (meaning that anyone can theoretically buy and inject filler), Botulinum toxin is deemed to be a prescription-only medicine that must be prescribed by a healthcare professional in a face-to-face consultation.

However, this clearly isn’t happening. Instead, unqualified

Each week our experts Dr AAMER KHAN and LESLEY REYNOLDS bring you the latest beauty news and wellbeing advice

injectors are buying black market products through unscrupulous suppliers, or prescriptions are being issued after a phone chat.

Black market Botox may not be the genuine substance but a toxic blend of something unidentifiable, leading to disfigurement or long-term illness.

Equally worrying is the rise of unregulated fast-track courses that promise to train a complete beginner with no qualifications to perform these invasive treatments – sometimes in as little as a weekend.

There are many risks and dangers from non-medically qualified individuals carrying out such treatments and, like a lot of clinics, we are seeing and treating a growing number of complications arising from these botched jobs. Botox has a long and well-established reputation for being safe – if treatments are performed by a qualified doctor. The risk lies in how it is used. In the wrong hands, possible side effects range from problems swallowing and breathing to lopsided and droopy results. Complications from dermal

fillers include necrosis (when cells die), nerve damage and even permanent loss of vision if injected in the wrong place around the eyes.

While the estimated value of the non-surgical cosmetic industry is set to be worth £3billion by 2024, the Government has failed to keep up with the growth.

In 2013, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh issued a report recommending making fillers prescription only.

He also called for a national register for practitioners and to establish accredited qualifications for non-surgical treatments.

Nearly a decade later, none of these measures have been adopted. We need urgent action now. Regulation is essential across the cosmetic industry and we urgently need laws put in place to prevent those without medical qualifications performing and promoting treatments.

Patients also need to be better educated so they, too, can make safe choices.

After all, when booking a haircut, you usually feel safe in the knowledge that the person is properly qualified to do the job.

So surely the same amount of care should be given to choosing the person who treats your face?

HOW TO STAY SAFE

 Rather than going for a cheap package deal, remember it’s cut-price for a reason and you could pay more in the long run.

 Just because the therapist is wearing a white coat or has a certificate, don’t assume they know what they are doing. Online reviews can be fake while before and after photos can be stolen from official sites. Go to governing sites like the GMC and check credentials to ensure you are seeing a real doctor, dentist or nurse.

 You should be treated in a spotless room with the injector wearing gloves and a mask, and using sterile procedure packs to perform your treatment.

 Ask your injector exactly what is inside the syringe and why it was chosen. Take a photo of the packaging so you have a record.

 If injectors offer to use leftover filler or Botox for an ever-cheaper deal, run as fast as you can.

 After-care is crucial and you should ensure that you have a routine follow-up two to three weeks afterwards with your injector. Always have an emergency contact you can call in case of complications after the treatment.

● For more of Lesley’s tips, visit lesleyreynolds.com