People seeking cheap Botox-like injections have been warned by experts against doing it themselves due to the risk of “eyelid droops”, infection and even botulism.
There are growing concerns over the availability of medication called Innotox that is being sold illegally online in the UK. Unlike Botox, which comes as a powder that must be reconstituted for use in an injection, Innotox is a ready-to-use liquid – making it easier to self-administer.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announced plans this week to introduce legislation cracking down on England’s cosmetic “wild west”, where there is scant regulation of who can deliver treatments such as dermatological filler and Botox.
Experts say Innotox is not licensed for use in the UK, unlike some other liquid Botox-like injections, meaning its quality and safety has not been assessed.
Aenone Harper-Machin, a consultant plastic surgeon and spokesperson for the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), said the online availability of Innotox was frightening and appalling, and she cautioned against DIY jabs.
“People could be giving themselves eyelid droops and all sorts of weird asymmetries by injecting it in the wrong place, too deeply, too superficially. You can inject it into your blood vessel and give yourself botulism,” she said.
Products such as Botox and Innotox contain type A botulinum toxin, which blocks nerve signals and prevents muscles from contracting. While botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine in the UK, Innotox can be readily bought online without one, amid longstanding concerns about untrained and unregulated providers, as well as unlicensed or counterfeit products.
Health officials have said 41 recent cases of botulism poisoning in England have been linked to unlicensed jabs.
Harper-Machin has had Botox-like injections but said she would not self-administer them. “I wouldn’t have it done by anybody other than a consultant plastic surgeon who has intimate knowledge of facial anatomy,” she said.
Botox jabs have become a routine procedure for many people. The government estimates that about 900,000 such injections are carried out in the UK each year.
Despite now being available in high street clinics, their high cost and the regular need for top-up treatment has fuelled a desire for cheaper alternatives.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says it is unlawful to sell unauthorised medicines, although in…
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