Stopping the ‘Anti-Wrinkle Injections’ Cowboys
Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi was just as shocked as many of his colleagues and patients at the case of Jamie Winter last year, the beauty therapist who bought botulinum toxin Anti-Wrinkle Injections on the internet then injected in into clients in their homes.
The case ended with Ms Winter being convicted of fraud after her telling her customers that she had completed a training course, which it turns out she had pulled out of due to it being too expensive.
She was initially charged with assault, as one of her clients had suffered swollen eyes after having the injections, but as they had consented to the treatment, the charge were dropped.
Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi has said that what he found most shocking about the case was that had Winter admitted that she was untrained, and her clients were willing to ahead with the treatment in this knowledge then she would not have been found guilty of fraud either.
Anti-Wrinkle Injections
This has left Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi and many others in the industry to ask why, despite the Keogh report, it is still legal for anyone – qualified or not – to inject botulinum toxin as in that respect Winter was in fact clear.
Dr Ayham AL-Ayoubi also raised the question of why it is not illegal to buy a licensed medicine over the internet, or to administer it in people’s homes rather than a professional clinical environment.
The Medicines and Healthcare Regulations Agency (MHRA) say that botulinum toxin injections should be administered ‘under the supervision or directions’ of a medical practitioner.
Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi Anti-Wrinkle Injections is a prescription only medicine (POM), and The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 makes it illegal to sell, administer or possess a POM with intent to supply. The offences carry a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or an unlimited fine.
Ms S.Taber, director of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services says, “Anti-Wrinkle Injections has to be prescribed by a doctor, dentist or nurse prescriber. If then they feel that an unqualified injector is competent to do the treatment then currently they can authorise this.”
Anti-Wrinkle Injections
Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi is strong with his opinion that this is not good practice, with Ms J.Kettels, director of corporate affairs and public relations at Allergen agreeing, “These treatments are medical procedures and should only be given in the right clinical environment by a qualified healthcare professional trained in clinical assessment and patient care”.
Despite the professional opinions on the regulations of such treatments, unfortunately they are not legal obligations and this is something Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi is keen to see change.
Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi is under no illusion that Jamie Winter is a lone bad apple and said he wouldn’t be surprised if there were other’s just like her practicing Anti-Wrinkle Injections treatments. “I am quite used to patients coming to see me for the first time who tell me they have had the treatment before, done by their beauty therapist. It shocks and worries me just as much each time I hear it”.
There is no official data to confirm there are more Jamie Winter’s out there, but Ms E.Davies, chair of The British Association of Cosmetic Nurses says, “it is likely to be far more common than we would like to believe.”
Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi is aware that while regulation is necessary, no amount will stop those determined to operate outside the law.
However, he believes that exemplary prosecutions with appropriate sentencing by the MHRA for medical crimes that are reported in newspapers may do more to dissuade cosmetic cowboys and educate patients to their danger, than any amount of regulation.
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