Latest news with #Toxpia
Metro
5 days ago
- Health
- Metro
Toxic beauty product causes outbreak of deadly disease leaving patients ‘frozen'
Patients who have unlicensed botox injections are at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease unfamiliar to many doctors. So far, 38 cases of botulism linked to anti-wrinkle injections have been recorded by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Nicola Fairley ended up in A&E just days after a botox procedure done by her regular beautician at her home left her tired and unable to swallow food. Doctors believed at first she had suffered from a stroke. Nicola says she met several other patients with similar symptoms at the A&E in Durham, with one even requiring resuscitation. 'We all had problems with our eyes, some of us with our breathing. I couldn't swallow – they put me on nil by mouth because they were worried I would choke in the waiting room', she said. She was forced to wait for the anti-toxin to cure her disease as the hospital had run out from treating other patients. Nicola still has no idea which product was used for her treatment or how much of it, as her beautician has ceased all contact with her. Symptoms of botulism include weakness, blurry vision, difficulty speaking and feeling tired. The disease can be potentially fatal and is so rare that many doctors have yet to encounter it, with many having to ask other medical professionals in major cities for more information on how to treat it. Medics have warned of a potential outbreak for years, given the poor regulation of private clinics offering injections – a £3billion industry. A survey by ITV's This Morning found that half of respondents had sought medical help after having cosmetic treatments, while 15 per cent had ended up in hospital. Another patient, Kaylie Bailey was driving her son to a new school with her newborn baby when she had double vision at the wheel. She told the programme: 'I thought at one point I was going to end up going blind my eyes were so bad.' The mother was told by doctors that it was possible the injection had gone into her muscle by mistake, causing her eyelids to droop. After spending the 'worst week of my life' only being to see from the bottom of her eyes, Kaylie returned to hospital where her condition was eventually properly diagnosed. She later found out she had been injected with a product called Toxpia, which can be purchased for just £92 for two vials, around three to four times cheaper than a genuine botox product. Dr Zoe Williams said that a case botulism is something an average medic would expect to see once in a career. She said: 'When they're used properly.. the risks of getting botulism is extremely rare. But anybody can get their hands on fake products.' Dr Steven Land, an aesthetic specialist, described the botox industry as 'the wild west'. He told Sky News treatments can be offered by anyone, including those who could inject illegal and potentially lethal substances into patients, including rat poison. More Trending The situation is worsened by 'drug dealers' who have saturated the market with cheap products often on promotion, he added. While there a several voluntary associations for professionals within the aesthetics industry, there are currently no mandatory training requirements for practitioners in the UK. A licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures was proposed by the previous Conservative government. The scheme would have required practitioners to obtain a permit to carry out certain procedures, as well as a separate licence for their medical practice. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: What happens to the body when it's dying of starvation amid Gaza hunger crisis MORE: Tesco urgently recalls lunch time favourites over salmonella fears MORE: Wild Nutrition is hosting its first ever London pop-up – here's why you don't want to miss it
The Irish Sun
05-07-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
I nearly died after being injected with fake Botox… doctors sent me home after mistaking key side effect
GAZING up at all the medics around her bed, Kaylie Marie Bailey realised with horror that they were fighting to save her life. Around an hour earlier she had been helped into bed at Sunderland Royal Hospital after collapsing in a toilet. Advertisement 6 Mum Kaylie Marie Bailey tells of her nightmare after terrifying reaction to a beauty jab - and the tell-tale signs you should look out for Credit: Glen Minikin 6 Kaylie Marie ended up fighting for her life at Sunderland Royal Hospital's A&E Credit: Family Handout Unknown to Kaylie she had then stopped breathing and staff had rushed to her aid. Earlier that night, the mum-of-three had lost consciousness at home after suffering a terrifying reaction to what she incorrectly believed to be an authentic Botox treatment that she had treated herself to a couple of weeks earlier. She says of waking up in hospital: 'I must have blacked out, because when I came round there were about 20 people around me and I could hear them yelling instructions to each other. There was also a tube down my throat.' Advertisement Kaylie Marie was later told a resuscitator had been used to restart her breathing. The 36-year-old was one of 28 people in County Durham injected with a batch of fake Botox that appears to have been contaminated with the lethal The product used was Toxpia, an unlicensed South Korean anti-wrinkle solution illegal to sell or supply in the UK. It was responsible for Britain's biggest botulism outbreak in 100 years and Kaylie Marie's case was among the most serious. Her life was saved by medics who resuscitated her using a manual respirator to push oxygen into her lungs. Advertisement 'Law change' Public health officials are investigating the source of the outbreak but so far Durham police have not launched an inquiry. At her home in Peterlee, a month after being injected, Kaylie Marie wears an eye patch to correct double vision, and supports her weak right arm, which she can barely lift, on her knee. Tweakment Trials - Botox 'It's disgraceful that anyone can become a Botox specialist and start injecting people without any screening and with no qualifications,' she says tearfully. 'The law needs to change to regulate the aesthetics industry, because there are people out there who are playing with people's lives.' Kaylie Marie's world was turned upside down when, on May 30, she contacted a local beautician on Facebook Messenger, asking for a Advertisement It was a decision that very nearly robbed her one-month-old son Albie and her two other children, Olly, 12, and Leo , eight, of their mum, and it has left Kaylie Marie's future health under a cloud of uncertainty. That day, she went for her Botox appointment at a hair salon in Blackhall Rocks, County Durham. She had had Botox four times before, but not for about 18 months. The salon owner was renting out a room at the back to a beautician who was visiting the area for a two-day stint. Kaylie Marie says: 'After having my little boy I wanted to give myself a makeover and feel nice again. I have always hated the frown line that creeps back on my forehead. 'I was slightly late for my appointment and felt as though the beautician was in a rush. 'I asked for three spots to be injected — the sides of my eyes, my forehead and between my eyes. Advertisement 'But as soon as she injected me, it stung and my eyes started watering. The beautician joked about it and said, 'I seem to be making everyone's eyes water today'. 'I couldn't shake it off' 'As I was about to pay my usual £150, she said 'that will be £75'. I was surprised it was so cheap and now I'm wondering whether she was charging less because she had paid less for the chemical.' 'I thought nothing of the stinging and was back in my dad's car within ten minutes.' Over the weekend, Kaylie Marie began to feel dizzy and ill and her left eye wasn't opening fully. She told herself it just needed to settle, but on the Monday, while driving Olly to a school appointment, she realised something was wrong. Advertisement 6 Kaylie Marie, pictured before being injected with fake Botox, was later told a resuscitator had been used to restart her breathing. Credit: Glen Minikin 6 Kaylie Marie was later told a resuscitator had been used to restart her breathing Credit: Glen Minikin 'There was a bus in front of me which suddenly split into two, driving side by side,' she says. 'I blinked to correct my vision, but nothing happened. I was stuck with terrible double vision and couldn't shake it off.' With three young children to look after, she felt she had no choice but to carry on, despite her partner Craig Perry, 38, expressing concern. Advertisement It was her sister Danielle, 39, who told her to seek medical help when she saw her eye drooping. It was Friday, June 6 and after securing a GP appointment, she was taken to A&E. Kaylie Marie says: 'My vision was so bad it looked like everyone in the waiting room was sitting with their twin. 'I was given morphine and a CT scan, but was sent home when a consultant diagnosed ptosis, which just means a drooping eyelid. I started to lose consciousness, to think about the children. I'm dying, I thought. 'Instinctively I knew they had got it wrong, but what could I do?' She soldiered on for another week, unaware the botulism bacterium were damaging her central nervous system. Advertisement It was a fortnight after the fake Botox injections that a correct diagnosis was finally made and she was sent to hospital by her GP. Kaylie Marie says: 'In the week since I'd last been in the hospital, news of the botulism outbreak had started to spread. The hospital had treated other women. I was told there was an anti-toxin, but it was in such short supply and so expensive it was only being given to the most urgent cases, and I didn't qualify.' As Friday, June 13 was drawing to a close, Kaylie Marie's breathing was becoming shallower and shallower, until it stopped completely. She says: 'I'd rushed to the loo where I was sick and collapsed. What to look out for... GOVERNMENT-approved organisation Save Face, which campaigns for safer cosmetic procedures, has this advice: Always visit a trained healthcare practitioner such as a doctor, nurse, dentist or a prescribing pharmacist. Avoid cheap treatments and time-limited offers – it may indicate that corners are being cut. Know the full name, credentials and contact details of the person who is treating you. Do not visit a practitioner who only operates on social media and who will not disclose this information. Arrange a consultation and don't be afraid to ask questions. Discuss your concerns and desired outcomes. Ask what products they use and what aftercare will be available. Ask to see the unopened box of product/medicine that is to be used and make a note of the brand and the LOT number (take a photo) for future reference. Don't be afraid to walk away if you do not feel comfortable. 'I was helped back into bed, but I could feel myself getting weaker and breathing was becoming a struggle. I started to lose consciousness and began to think about Craig and the children. 'I'm dying,' I thought.' Advertisement Kaylie Marie was later moved to intensive care, where she was eventually given the anti-toxin. She remained in hospital for three more days before being discharged. 'Make people think' Amanda Healy, County Durham Director of Public Health, said: 'We are working closely with colleagues at United Kingdom Health Security Agency to investigate the cause of these adverse reactions. 'I would encourage anyone who has recently undertaken an aesthetic procedure and is experiencing any of the symptoms listed to contact NHS 111 or, if it feels life-threatening, go to A&E.' A spokesperson for Sunderland Royal Hospital said: 'When the patient was discharged following her first attendance, she was advised to visit her GP if her condition worsened. It was explained her symptoms were likely to be related to botox, which can resolve without specific treatment. 'As soon as there were regional communications about this issue, actions were taken quickly and staff were made aware. Advice was sought when she was admitted later in June.' Advertisement Kaylie Marie says: 'I took legal advice as soon as I was well enough. 'It was soon found that the beautician doesn't have insurance as she claimed so I'm unlikely to get meaningful compensation. 'She apologised and said there was a problem with the product on a nationwide level.' Kaylie Marie is yet to discover what lasting damage the botulism may have done. She says: 'I'm stuck in the house with double vision, weakness in my arms and doctors are unable to say when or if I'll fully recover. Advertisement 'These injections have become part of everyday life, but I hope that this will make people think very carefully about who they go to — or whether to go at all.' 6 The mum-of-three had lost consciousness at home after suffering a terrifying reaction to a Botox treatment two weeks earlier Credit: Glen Minikin 6 Kaylie Marie was later moved to intensive care, where she was eventually given the anti-toxin Credit: Glen Minikin A spokesperson for Sunderland Royal Hospital said: "When the patient was discharged following her first attendance, she was advised to visit her GP if her condition worsened, or did not improve after a few weeks, for a referral to an eye specialist. "It was explained her symptoms were likely to be related to botox, which can resolve without requiring specific treatment over time. Advertisement "Advice was sought when she was admitted later in June and treated in line with guidance. "Botulinum toxicity is a very rare condition. It is not seen by the majority of doctors during their careers. "As soon as there were regional communications about this issue, actions were taken quickly and staff were made aware in case patients presented. "Clear ways to manage any patients who needed treatment were set out. This included seeking specialist advice on the antitoxin used as a treatment."
The Sun
05-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I nearly died after being injected with fake Botox… doctors sent me home after mistaking key side effect
GAZING up at all the medics around her bed, Kaylie Marie Bailey realised with horror that they were fighting to save her life. Around an hour earlier she had been helped into bed at Sunderland Royal Hospital after collapsing in a toilet. 6 6 Unknown to Kaylie she had then stopped breathing and staff had rushed to her aid. Earlier that night, the mum-of-three had lost consciousness at home after suffering a terrifying reaction to what she incorrectly believed to be an authentic Botox treatment that she had treated herself to a couple of weeks earlier. She says of waking up in hospital: 'I must have blacked out, because when I came round there were about 20 people around me and I could hear them yelling instructions to each other. There was also a tube down my throat.' Kaylie Marie was later told a resuscitator had been used to restart her breathing. The 36-year-old was one of 28 people in County Durham injected with a batch of fake Botox that appears to have been contaminated with the lethal botulism bacterium. The product used was Toxpia, an unlicensed South Korean anti-wrinkle solution illegal to sell or supply in the UK. It was responsible for Britain's biggest botulism outbreak in 100 years and Kaylie Marie's case was among the most serious. Her life was saved by medics who resuscitated her using a manual respirator to push oxygen into her lungs. 'Law change' Public health officials are investigating the source of the outbreak but so far Durham police have not launched an inquiry. At her home in Peterlee, a month after being injected, Kaylie Marie wears an eye patch to correct double vision, and supports her weak right arm, which she can barely lift, on her knee. 'It's disgraceful that anyone can become a Botox specialist and start injecting people without any screening and with no qualifications,' she says tearfully. 'The law needs to change to regulate the aesthetics industry, because there are people out there who are playing with people's lives.' Kaylie Marie's world was turned upside down when, on May 30, she contacted a local beautician on Facebook Messenger, asking for a Botox appointment. It was a decision that very nearly robbed her one-month-old son Albie and her two other children, Olly, 12, and Leo, eight, of their mum, and it has left Kaylie Marie's future health under a cloud of uncertainty. That day, she went for her Botox appointment at a hair salon in Blackhall Rocks, County Durham. She had had Botox four times before, but not for about 18 months. The salon owner was renting out a room at the back to a beautician who was visiting the area for a two-day stint. Kaylie Marie says: 'After having my little boy I wanted to give myself a makeover and feel nice again. I have always hated the frown line that creeps back on my forehead. 'I was slightly late for my appointment and felt as though the beautician was in a rush. 'I asked for three spots to be injected — the sides of my eyes, my forehead and between my eyes. 'But as soon as she injected me, it stung and my eyes started watering. The beautician joked about it and said, 'I seem to be making everyone's eyes water today'. 'I couldn't shake it off' 'As I was about to pay my usual £150, she said 'that will be £75'. I was surprised it was so cheap and now I'm wondering whether she was charging less because she had paid less for the chemical.' 'I thought nothing of the stinging and was back in my dad's car within ten minutes.' Over the weekend, Kaylie Marie began to feel dizzy and ill and her left eye wasn't opening fully. She told herself it just needed to settle, but on the Monday, while driving Olly to a school appointment, she realised something was wrong. 6 'There was a bus in front of me which suddenly split into two, driving side by side,' she says. 'I blinked to correct my vision, but nothing happened. I was stuck with terrible double vision and couldn't shake it off.' With three young children to look after, she felt she had no choice but to carry on, despite her partner Craig Perry, 38, expressing concern. It was her sister Danielle, 39, who told her to seek medical help when she saw her eye drooping. It was Friday, June 6 and after securing a GP appointment, she was taken to A&E. Kaylie Marie says: 'My vision was so bad it looked like everyone in the waiting room was sitting with their twin. 'I was given morphine and a CT scan, but was sent home when a consultant diagnosed ptosis, which just means a drooping eyelid. I started to lose consciousness, to think about the children. I'm dying, I thought. 'Instinctively I knew they had got it wrong, but what could I do?' She soldiered on for another week, unaware the botulism bacterium were damaging her central nervous system. It was a fortnight after the fake Botox injections that a correct diagnosis was finally made and she was sent to hospital by her GP. Kaylie Marie says: 'In the week since I'd last been in the hospital, news of the botulism outbreak had started to spread. The hospital had treated other women. I was told there was an anti-toxin, but it was in such short supply and so expensive it was only being given to the most urgent cases, and I didn't qualify.' As Friday, June 13 was drawing to a close, Kaylie Marie's breathing was becoming shallower and shallower, until it stopped completely. She says: 'I'd rushed to the loo where I was sick and collapsed. What to look out for... GOVERNMENT-approved organisation Save Face, which campaigns for safer cosmetic procedures, has this advice: Always visit a trained healthcare practitioner such as a doctor, nurse, dentist or a prescribing pharmacist. Avoid cheap treatments and time-limited offers – it may indicate that corners are being cut. Know the full name, credentials and contact details of the person who is treating you. Do not visit a practitioner who only operates on social media and who will not disclose this information. Arrange a consultation and don't be afraid to ask questions. Discuss your concerns and desired outcomes. Ask what products they use and what aftercare will be available. Ask to see the unopened box of product/medicine that is to be used and make a note of the brand and the LOT number (take a photo) for future reference. Don't be afraid to walk away if you do not feel comfortable. 'I was helped back into bed, but I could feel myself getting weaker and breathing was becoming a struggle. I started to lose consciousness and began to think about Craig and the children. 'I'm dying,' I thought.' Kaylie Marie was later moved to intensive care, where she was eventually given the anti-toxin. She remained in hospital for three more days before being discharged. 'Make people think' Amanda Healy, County Durham Director of Public Health, said: 'We are working closely with colleagues at United Kingdom Health Security Agency to investigate the cause of these adverse reactions. 'I would encourage anyone who has recently undertaken an aesthetic procedure and is experiencing any of the symptoms listed to contact NHS 111 or, if it feels life-threatening, go to A&E.' A spokesperson for Sunderland Royal Hospital said: 'When the patient was discharged following her first attendance, she was advised to visit her GP if her condition worsened. It was explained her symptoms were likely to be related to botox, which can resolve without specific treatment. 'As soon as there were regional communications about this issue, actions were taken quickly and staff were made aware. Advice was sought when she was admitted later in June.' Kaylie Marie says: 'I took legal advice as soon as I was well enough. 'It was soon found that the beautician doesn't have insurance as she claimed so I'm unlikely to get meaningful compensation. 'She apologised and said there was a problem with the product on a nationwide level.' Kaylie Marie is yet to discover what lasting damage the botulism may have done. She says: 'I'm stuck in the house with double vision, weakness in my arms and doctors are unable to say when or if I'll fully recover. 'These injections have become part of everyday life, but I hope that this will make people think very carefully about who they go to — or whether to go at all.' 6 6 A spokesperson for Sunderland Royal Hospital said: "When the patient was discharged following her first attendance, she was advised to visit her GP if her condition worsened, or did not improve after a few weeks, for a referral to an eye specialist. "It was explained her symptoms were likely to be related to botox, which can resolve without requiring specific treatment over time. "Advice was sought when she was admitted later in June and treated in line with guidance. "Botulinum toxicity is a very rare condition. It is not seen by the majority of doctors during their careers. "As soon as there were regional communications about this issue, actions were taken quickly and staff were made aware in case patients presented.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
County Durham women fall ill as fake Botox beautician apologises
An aesthetic beautician left one woman fighting for her life and several others seriously ill in hospital after injecting them with Toxpia, an illegal Botox-type anti-wrinkle treatment. As the BBC names the woman behind the jabs, two of her victims share their stories. The patch over Kaylie Bailey's left eye is a daily reminder of when her beauty treatment nearly killed 36-year-old mum-of-three from Peterlee, County Durham, had paid Gemma Gray £75 for three "Botox" injections, half of what it had cost on a previous visit - the bargain turned out to be too good to be days, Ms Bailey was struggling to at Sunderland Royal Hospital were initially baffled and diagnosed her with ptosis, an eye condition characterised by the drooping of the upper eyelid, and told her to go home to rest. The hospital trust said that when Ms Bailey was discharged she had been advised to visit her GP if her condition worsened, and it had been explained to her that her symptoms were probably related to the treatment she had added that botulinum toxicity was a very rare condition "not seen by the majority of doctors during their careers". But when her condition deteriorated over the following days, Ms Bailey rushed back to hospital where this time she was told she had botulism, a rare but life-threatening condition caused by a that point, she was one of 28 people to have been diagnosed with the toxic poisoning in north-east England after having anti-wrinkle Bailey stopped breathing and required resuscitation. She spent three days on the Intensive Care Unit and was treated with an anti-toxin."I remember lying on the bed thinking 'I'm dying here and I don't want to'," Ms Bailey says, crying as she recalls her experience. Upon her release, and being required now to wear an eye patch until her eye heals, she contacted Mrs Gray and was told by her it was a "nationwide problem with the product". "When I went in [to her appointment for the anti-wrinkle jabs], I felt like she was rushing that much it stung, my eyes were watering that much off it," Ms Bailey says."I cannot believe she's even dared to do that to people. "She didn't even know what was in it and we're having to live with what she's done to us. "I've nearly died because of it." Paula Harrison suffered a similar fate when she visited Mrs Gray at a salon in Blackhall, Co Durham, in late 54-year-old mother-of-two had previously been to the practitioner for a lip-filler procedure but this time decided to have what she thought was Botox and under-eye a few days, she too became unwell and also went to Sunderland Royal Hospital where she was admitted and spent four days, receiving an anti-toxin as part of her treatment. The BBC has previously reported how hospitals in the region ran out of their own stocks of the anti-toxin and needed to source it from hospitals across the country because of the unusually high number of patients who were presenting with symptoms of botulism. Mrs Harrison said her throat was closing up and she was unable to eat. "[Mrs Gray is] playing with people's lives," Mrs Harrison says. "Luckily, I'm all right, but I could have been dead." Mrs Gray, formerly known as Gemma Brown, operates her business Belissimo Aesthetics, which is not linked to any other business of the same name, from her home near Bishop Auckland and at a salon in administered an illegal type of botulinum toxin, the ingredient used in legal Botox-type products, to a number of are seven such products licensed for use in the UK, including the brand Botox which is the most commonly known. Mrs Gray used Toxpia, a product from South Korea which the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency says is not licensed for use in the UK and which is an offence to sell or told clients it was a "new type of Botox" and charged between £75 and £100 for three areas of treatment. The BBC tried to contact her to ask her about her involvement but she said she was not interested in speaking. The BBC is naming Mrs Gray after speaking to a number of her clients. It is understood another aesthetic practitioner, who is a business associate of Mrs Gray's, bought the Toxpia from her and administered it to her own clients, many of whom also became ill. 'Consider the health impacts' Mrs Gray has told clients how sorry she is for what happened and described how bad she feels that they became ill. She told Mrs Harrison that it was a "new treatment on trial" and that she was also indicated it was a "nationwide" problem with the product and said people everywhere had become ill after using it. The BBC has seen no evidence to support this claim. Mrs Gray advertised her business as being "fully trained and insured". An investigation, led by the UK Health Security Agency, is ongoing. The agency has issued guidance to anyone who wishes to have this type of treatment, advising them to research their practitioner and make sure the product they are given is a legal medicine and licensed for use in the UK. The Department of Health and Social Care said people's lives were being put at risk by "inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector" and the government was looking into new regulations."We urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner," a spokesperson said. 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