Donated human corpses used by Botox trainees

Bodies donated to medical science are being used to train beauticians, it has emerged.

Beauty therapists helped to dissect a human head and inserted needles into its face during a two-day course at Newcastle University, designed to improve the safety of Botox treatments at beauty parlours.

Critics said it ‘beggars belief ’ that bodies donated for medical study should be used in such a way. Under the law, Botox has to be prescribed by a doctor. But it can be injected by anyone who has done a s hort training course.

Facial fillers, which plump up the skin, can also be administered by beauticians. The course was commissioned by Cosmetic Couture, which runs training courses for beauticians. Therapists learnt about the structure of the skin, ligaments and fat deposits while watching the dissection.

A spokesman said: ‘The utmost respect for the donors and donor families was presented as a prime concern in this class.’

But Antonia Mariconda, of campaign group safety in Beauty, said: ‘donating a body to science is such a sensitive issue that you would not expect a beautician to be prod- ding and probing your face to further her skills to enhance people’s faces for vain reasons.’

Fazel Fatah, a consultant plastic surgeon and former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic surgeons, said: ‘A cadaver dissection course geared towards non-medics beggars belief.’

But Newcastle University said it was ‘indebted’ to those who bequeath their bodies for anatomy teaching.