County of Durham Women fall sick while the false Botox esthetician apologizes

An aesthetic esthetician has left a woman to fight for her life and several other seriously sick in hospital after having injected them with toxpia, an anti-wrinkle treatment of the illegal Botox type. While the BBC names the woman behind the blows, two of her victims share their stories.

The patch on the left eye of Kaylie Bailey is a daily reminder of the moment when her beauty treatment almost killed her.

The 36 -year -old mother of three children of Peterlee, in Durham County, had paid Gemma Gray 75 for three injections of “Botox”, half of what she had cost during a previous visit – the market turned out to be too beautiful to be true.

In a few days, Ms. Bailey had trouble seeing.

Doctors at the Royal Hospital of Sunderland were initially disconcerted and diagnosed him with a ptose, an eye condition characterized by the drop in the upper eyelid, and told her to return home to rest.

The hospital trust said that when Ms. Bailey was released, he was advised to visit her general practitioner if her condition worsened, and it had been explained to her that her symptoms were probably linked to the treatment she had had.

He added that botulinum toxicity was a very rare condition “not seen by the majority of doctors during their career”.

But when her condition deteriorated during the following days, Ms. Bailey rushed to the hospital where this time, she was told that she had botulism, a rare but fatal condition caused by a bacteria.

At that time, she was one of the 28 people to have received a diagnosis of toxic poisoning in northeast England after having anti-wrinkle blows.

Ms. Bailey stopped breathing and required resuscitation.

She spent three days in the intensive care unit and was treated with an anti-toxin.

“I remember being lying on the bed thinking” I die here and I don’t want “, says Ms. Bailey, crying by remembering her experience.

When she was released, and being necessary now to carry a patch for the eyes until her eyes heal, she contacted Ms. Gray and was told that it was a “national problem with the product”.

“When I entered [to her appointment for the anti-wrinkle jabs]I felt like she was rushing as much as she stung, my eyes watered as much, “said Ms. Bailey.

“I cannot believe that she even dared to do that to people.

“She didn’t even know what was and we have to live with what she did.

“I am almost dead because of this.”

Paula Harrison suffered a similar spell when she visited Ms. Gray in a living room in Blackhall, Co Durham, at the end of May.

The mother of two 54 -year -olds had already been to the practitioner for a lip filling procedure, but this time decided to have what she thought was Botox and filling before her.

After a few days, she too became sick and also went to the Royal Hospital in Sunderland where she was admitted and spent four days, receiving an anti-toxin as part of her treatment.

The BBC previously pointed out how hospitals in the region lacked their own anti-toxin stocks and had to provide hospitals across the country due to the unusual number of patients who had symptoms of botulism.

Mrs. Harrison said her throat closed and that she could not eat.

“”[Mrs Gray is] Playing with people’s lives, “said Mrs. Harrison.” Fortunately, I’m fine, but I could have been dead. “”

Ms. Gray, formerly known as Gemma Brown, operates her aesthetic Belissimo company, which is not linked to any other company of the same name, from her home near Bishop Auckland and in a living room in Blackhall.

It has administered an illegal type of botulinum toxin, the ingredient used in Botox legal products, to a number of patients.

There are seven license products for use in the United Kingdom, including the Botox brand which is most commonly known.

Ms. Gray used Toxpia, a South Korea product which, according to the regulatory agency for drugs and health products, is not authorized to be used in the United Kingdom and which is an offense for sale or to be provided.

She told customers that it was a “new type of botox” and billed between £ 75 and 100 for three areas of treatment.

The BBC tried to contact her to ask her questions about her involvement, but she said that she was not interested in talking.

The BBC names Ms. Gray after talking to a number of her customers.

Another aesthetic practitioner is heard, who is a business associate of Ms. Gray’s, bought her the Toxpia and administered her to his own customers, many of whom have also fallen ill.

Ms. Gray told customers how sorry she is for what happened and described how bad she feels. She told Mrs. Harrison that it was a “new test treatment” and that she was devastated.

She also said that it was a “national” problem with the product and said that people everywhere had fallen ill after using it.

The BBC has not seen any evidence in support of this assertion.

Ms. Gray announced her business as “fully trained and insured”.

An investigation, led by the UK Health Security Agency, is underway.

The agency has published advice to anyone who wishes to have this type of treatment, advising it to search for their practitioner and to ensure that the product given to it is legal medicine and authorized to use in the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Health and Social Coins said that people’s lives was in danger by “insufficiently trained operators in the cosmetics sector” and that the government examined new regulations.

“We urge anyone who envisages aesthetic procedures to consider the possible impacts on health and find a renowned, assured and qualified practitioner,” said a spokesperson.