There has been an alarming rise in people opting to self-inject ‘Korean Botox’ at home as a way to cut the cost of the popular beauty treatment – but it comes with some serious risks to health
The rise in beauty fans self-injecting themselves with ‘Korean Botox’ is on the rise. People are injecting themselves at home with Innotox, a South Korean version of Botox which is marketed as a cheaper and longer-lasting alternative.
For just £50, people are able to get Innotox delivered straight to their door, and the black market anti-wrinkle solution is being illegally sold through social media and websites. There are six prescription-only Botox brands that are legal for cosmetic use in the UK. Councils across the country – including Manchester, Wolverhampton and Nottinghamshire – are warning against products such as an Innotox, manufactured in South Korea by Medytox, as none of these products are authorised for use in the UK.
Innotox is fast gaining popularity among many DIYers, who are lured in by the convenience of doing it at home, as well as being more cost-effective and having a “simpler” injection process. But medical experts are growing increasingly alarmed at the surge, warning that what might seem like a harmless wrinkle fix could result in long-term facial paralysis – or something even worse.
Fuelled by the rise in K-Beauty, with beauty buffs jumping on the Korean beauty bandwagon, it’s revealed a troubling trend as more and more people are opting for the illegal distribution of unapproved botulinum toxin products, raising alarms about public health and consumer safety.
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In 2019, Marcelle King, 62, was hospitalised, put on a drip and given steroids after being given fake Botox by a man pretending to be a doctor. She suffered a huge anaphylactic shock in reaction to the substance, which tests showed was unrefined beef gelatine imported from China.
“He started these injections… each one felt like a red hot cigarette,” Marcelle told LBC. “My [face] was swelling up like Frankenstein’s Monster and my eyes started blistering up. I was really wheezing and struggling to breathe.”
Content creators on TikTok and YouTube have been sharing their results from self-injecting the Innotox, which has been encouraging viewers to jump on the hype. Raising serious red flags among the health community, especially given the unregulated nature of these purchases and the lack of professional oversight, Managing Director of the Harley Street Skin Clinic, Sophie Cooper, has shared insights into the dangers of purchasing Innotox online and self-injecting.
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Innotox is a Korean beauty treatment used as an alternative to Botox that contains the same ingredient botulinum toxin type A. Cooper explains: “It works similar to Botox by relaxing facial muscles which softens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. While Innotox is approved in some countries, it is not approved or authorised for use in the UK or US and people have been urged not to follow the trend.”
“While many beauty and skincare-related TikTok trends can be fun and harmless, this one differs as it’s leading to people self-injecting at home, something I would absolutely advise against,” she said.
YouTuber SpaandTell took to her channel to show her followers how she DIY’s her own anti-wrinkle injections with Innotox in a lengthy video – and her how-to video, among many other creators posting similar content is further sparking concern from experts. In reality, self-injecting an alternative comes with many dangers.
These “how-to” videos appearing online aren’t in-depth enough, and the expert said it takes years to learn to inject correctly, and following these videos poses a serious risk. For example, injecting too deep in the wrong places can affect your breathing or cause muscle paralysis.
This means if something goes wrong while doing it at home, people might not have the knowledge to treat it appropriately or recognise when it’s serious enough to seek medical attention. Sophie further detailed: “Any injectable products should be administered by a trained professional in a sanitised and safe environment so if any issues arise, the experts are there to take care of you.
“Fake or improperly sourced botulinum toxin can cause serious medical complications. Especially if you aren’t a medical professional with proper understanding of facial anatomy,” she added.
While it may be tempting due to the lower cost, Innotox might end up being very expensive down the road. When you make a mistake, its ‘longer-lasting’ quality would no longer seem attractive as you’d have to pay for a professional to fix the problem, and this is likely to be a lot more than what you paid.
The expert added: “Without the experts, you’re exposing yourself to all kinds of risks. Innotox is not authorised for use in the UK which means that it does not have the same safety standards as Botox or other authorised products,” and urged: “I strongly advise against self-injecting yourself with unregulated anti-aging products or following videos on how to do this from either TikTok or anywhere else on the internet. Always come to a professional.”
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