When 36-year-old mum-of-three Kaylie Bailey paid a beautician £75 to get three ‘Botox’ injections, she never thought it would stop her breathing.

Within days of the anti-wrinkle treatment, which was administered in a salon, she could barely see, so headed to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

After receiving a diagnosis of ptosis, also known as blepharoptosis or drooping eyelid, she was sent home, with doctors telling her it was likely due to her injections but to visit her GP if she noticed any further changes.

When Kaylie’s condition worsened over the next 48 hours however, she was rushed back to hospital and diagnosed with botulism, a rare, life-threatening condition caused by bacteria that attacks the nervous system – and if left untreated, can lead to paralysis and respiratory failure.

This is exactly what happened to Kaylie, who stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated, before spending three days in the ICU where she was treated with an anti-toxin.

It turns out she’d been injected with Toxpia, an illegal substance similar to, but not the same as, botulinum toxin (commonly referred to as the brand name Botox, although other brands are available, including Vistabel, Dysport, Bocouture, and Azzalure), which is widely used.

‘I remember lying on the bed thinking “I’m dying here and I don’t want to”,’ she told the BBC.

Kaylie is one of 41 confirmed cases of botulinum toxin-related botulism between June 4 and August 6, 2025, according to the UK Health Security Agency, sparking warnings over ‘dangerous, unlicensed products’.

In response to this growing issue, the Harley Street Skin Clinic is now demanding urgent government action to ensure only qualified injectors can perform aesthetic treatments.

It comes after the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health revealed 68% of cosmetic injections are being administered by someone other than a doctor.

In the UK there are currently no legal training requirements for beauty therapists and aesthetic practitioners injecting botulinum toxin or dermal fillers.

Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, MP Caroline Nokes, dubbed the industry a ‘wild west’ in a Commons speech in August calling for increased licensing and regulation, adding: ‘Anybody can do anything to anyone.’

This absurdity must end

Sophie Cooper, managing director of Harley Street Skin, welcomes this, saying in an open letter: ‘Injectables like Botox and dermal fillers are prescription-only drugs for good reason.

‘They can cause blindness, necrosis, sepsis, and systemic illness. When injected by a trained doctor, these risks are managed. When injected by someone with no medical training, they are catastrophic.

‘A doctor studies anatomy for years. A beautician can take a weekend course and start injecting the public.’

So much about aesthetic treatments are policed, from tattoo ink to sunbeds. As Sophie highlights, even paracetamol sales are restricted, but the same doesn’t yet apply for cosmetic injectibles.

She adds: ‘Today anyone, regardless of training, can inject powerful drugs into your face. When it goes wrong, the NHS foots the bill, and the patient potentially pays with their life.

‘This absurdity must end.’

With an estimated 900,000 anti-wrinkle injections happening each year in the UK, there’s plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong. In 2024, the British College of Aesthetic Medicine recorded 3,547 cases of complications from non-medical injectors, 60% of which were traced back to beauticians.

And while issues typically range from soft tissue infections to necrosis and scarring, they can be deadly, as evidenced by the death of mum-of-five Alice Webb in September 2024.

The 33-year-old is thought to have died as a result of a botched non-surgical Brazilian butt lift (BBL), where dermal filler is injected into the buttocks.

Since 2022, Save Face (a platform that connects patients with accredited practitioners) has received more than 300 reports of people who experienced disastrous near-death experiences as a result of the so-called ‘liquid’ BBL and breast augmentation procedures, carried out using huge quantities of dermal filler.

These procedures are so dangerous that 99% of the 2,000 medically trained professionals surveyed by the organisation refuse to offer it because of the significant risks.

Following Alice’s passing, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘We are exploring options around regulatory oversight of the non-surgical cosmetics sector and will provide an update in due course.’

But intervention is needed sooner rather than later, given that filler and anti-wrinkle treatments being injected in the likes of pop-up shops, hotel rooms and even public toilets.

Not to mention, just 42% of patients say a qualified prescriber was present during their consultation, while nearly one in five patients surveyed as part of an Anglia Ruskin University study say they weren’t informed of the risks.

Alarmingly, 9% of those who have had these injections weren’t even given a consent form.

So, if you’re considering a tweakment or two, do your research and only get an injection with a registered medical professional. You’re far better off being safe, than being sorry.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.