'Dodgy' cosmetic facial fillers leaving people blind, disfigured and in A&E following thousands of botched procedures, Clitheroe-based doctor reveals

The beauty world is producing a “conveyor belt” of young women being injected by insufficiently trained beauticians, hairdressers or lay people – many with “black market” cosmetic fillers – resulting in blindness, scarring and infections, according to the consultant.

Nearly 85% of treatments were carried out by non-medics in the UK last year while 87% of clients found their practitioner on social media, according to charity Save Face. And at least 1,309 treatments were messed up in 2019.

Dr Grant McKeating, who runs RejuvaMed Skin Clinic in Woone Lane, said: “These are devastating, life-changing complications that should never happen.

“It’s ludicrously dangerous. Many practitioners will get you in, get your money, treat you as quickly as possible, and use cheap products that are difficult to dissolve and get out. Often clinics will even share syringes between patients.”

Complications require urgent removal to avoid permanent damage, and only medics can prescribe drugs for this.

But as Dr McKeating, who is supporting a campaign to make derma fillers “prescription-only medicines” under UK law, added: “Non-medics are not trained to deal with emergencies or reverse the damage, so many just ignore the patient, who often ends up in A&E. Sometimes, it’s too late and the damage is already done.”

Who can legally inject people in the UK?

Anyone can legally inject people with facial fillers without insurance or qualifications, with Dr McKeating adding: “You don’t need to do a course. It’s often done by a beautician but it could also be your plumber.”

Charity Save Face reported 1,617 complaints about dangerous procedures in 2019 - 86% were carried out by beauticians, hairdressers or laypeople.

Director Ashton Collins said: “We see all sorts of horrific things. When a vein or artery has been blocked, it looks like someone has frostbite. It’s terrible. Some people have been a couple of days away from having their lips surgically removed.”

How do ‘unscrupulous’ practitioners target people on social media?

Save Face experiences a spike in complaints whenever shows like Love Island are on TV as many rogue operators offer the same procedures on social media that the reality stars have had, according to Ashton. They target young people using hashtags like Love Island or the Kardashians and then block customers, close their Facebook pages and set up new ones when complications occur, she adds. Clients are then forced to fork out for expensive private medical care to reverse the damage as NHS practices usually neither have the right drugs in nor consider it an emergency.

As she added: “It’s really important to protect young people. They’re most likely to fall victim because they live their lives on social media.”

Who can legally inject Botox and what is the law around advertising it?

Botox can only be prescribed by medics but can legally be injected by anyone, regardless of their qualifications. Dr McKeating says many people obtain it from rogue doctors or buy it illegally online.

As Ashton said: “There are lots of issues around fake Botox. When it’s imported from places like China, it’s not going through the proper channels and many women are having horrible adverse reactions like massive lumps on their face where it was injected.”

Facebook is also flooded with non-sponsored posts by businesses and individuals promoting Botox injections, she adds. This is despite it being illegal to advertise prescription medicines to the public, and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), enforced by the ASA, cracking down on them.

“The ASA can’t keep up with them. They’re impossible to police,” she added.

A Facebook company spokesperson said: “We want everyone to have a safe experience on our platforms, especially young people. We have strict advertising rules for cosmetic procedures, [and] restrict organic posts promoting cosmetic procedures to over 18s.”

Who can have facial fillers?

It is now illegal for under 18s to have dermal fillers following campaigns by the likes of Save Face, which received complaints about customers as young as 14 being injected in 2019.

How do beauty academies offering Botox training worsen the problem?

Beauty academies set up by non-medics charging thousands of pounds to train other laypeople are causing further damage, according to Dr McKeating, as any short course would not match up to university medical degrees.

How has social media fuelled body image issues in young people?

A consultant plastic surgeon at Royal Preston Hospital says many youngsters are feeling ever more pressure to change their appearance because of abuse from keyboard warriors. Dr J. Srinivasan, a council member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, says the trend for big lips, small noses and chiselled faces promoted by celebrities on social media has a “destructive influence” on mental health.

He said: “Some people can be quite vile with their comments on social media, and it makes young people feel inferior.”

Dr Srinivasan worries that unscrupulous practitioners do not always assess their clients for mental health issues like body dysmorphia (BDD), and do not have the training to support them.

“People are angry when a treatment goes wrong. They're disappointed and some become even more drawn into their shell,” he said.

What is the Digitally Altered Body Image Bill?

The Bill, introduced in Parliament by Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans, calls for influencers to display advisory labels on pictures of their face or body that have been digitally altered.

As Ashton said: “This level of perfection is not real but that’s not always obvious to 14 to 15-year-old girls.”

To make a complaint about a practitioner, visit www.saveface.co.uk