"Do-it-yourself Botox kits found on the internet"

PR Log (Press Release) – May 02, 2009 – The story started when do-it-yourself Botox kits and illegal tanning injections were recently found for sale on the internet prescription-free. This was as a result of an investigation carried out by Which? Computing who discovered Botox kits were being sold on eBay. The seller, based in Texas in the US, was offering the DIY kits for $95 (around £65) and was prepared to ship the product to buyers in the UK. Botox clinics typically charge between £110 to £400 an injection. The wrinkle-filler Botox packs contained Botox powder, saline, needles and even a face map showing where to inject the drug. During a radio interview on a Dublin radio station Today FM, Dr. Patrick Treacy stated  "Injecting prescription-only Botox without medical expertise is dangerous"."There are issues surrounding quality control as recently seen in a similar situation where a doctor paralysed many of his friends in Miami".  "In fact, the situation is similar to the recent discovery that Melanotan, (the tan jab) was also available through the internet. The UK-based website, which has now been shut down, was offering Melanotan complete with syringes and instructions on how to inject it into the stomach".

Melanotan injections are illegal in the UK and Ireland due to safety fears. But the Which? Computing team found the jabs for sale at £31 on a UK-based website, along with instructions on how to inject them into the stomach. The website, Melanotan-Maverick.com, has since been shut down by the UK Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).

To date, the MHRA has closed 18 websites selling Melanotan, but says it does not have jurisdiction over companies that operate in the US and distribute Botox in the UK.The auction website removed the advert as soon as it was contacted by the magazine.
Botox injections are used to prevent wrinkles and lines. But the procedure is dangerous to carry out without medical expertise. In 2007, 55,000 Botox injections were administered in the UK. The UK Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) does not have legal jurisdiction over companies operating in the US. But it has upheld dozens of complaints over the advertising of Botox within the UK. An MHRA spokeswoman said the authority was investigating about 30 cases of Melanotan being advertised over the internet and there were seven ongoing criminal  
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The Guardian newspaper also featured the original Botox 'do it yourself kits' story stating that  Which? Computing contacted the internet seller posing as a potential buyer. The seller told the magazine: "If you are afraid of injections there is a product called Inject-Ease that makes injecting a no-brainer." It continued " Malti O'Mahoney, an aesthetic nurse who has been a Botox practitioner in London for 10 years, said: "If you did it yourself with Botox you could end up paralysing your whole face. Facial muscles are very complex and a lay person would not know this. It is a full medical procedure, requiring a patient's medical history and detailed consultations before any treatment takes place."

Sarah Kidner, editor of Which? Computing, said: "It's easy to forget that Botox is actually a poison. We were appalled that we were able to buy a DIY kit so easily and are concerned that the internet is becoming a marketplace for cut-price cosmetic treatments." Ebay removed the seller's advert immediately after being contacted by Which? investigators.

Sky News also reported the story interviewing consultant plastic surgeon Nicholas Parkhouse, from the McIndoe Surgical Centre in West Sussex, who said  "The idea of self-administration is absolutely crackers," "I would advise extreme caution when it comes to something like this. "It's not like injecting insulin if you are a diabetic, you really do need to have specific knowledge. "The effects of the botulinum depend on getting tiny amounts into exactly the right place. "Get it wrong and you could end up with weakness in your eye muscles and drooping eye-lids."


Sarah Kidner, Editor of Which? Computing said: "It's easy to forget that Botox is actually a poison, which if injected in the wrong area could produce some shocking results.
"We were appalled that we were able to buy a DIY Botox kit so easily and we are concerned that the internet is becoming a marketplace for cut-price cosmetic treatments."
investigations.