A Hong Kong beauty salon manager has been jailed for four months after pleading guilty to illegally injecting three women with Botox, which left them with serious side effects including muscle weakness and dysphonia.
Kowloon City Court on Wednesday heard that Zhang Min, 44, ran the now-closed CC Beauty in Jordan and gave botox injections to the three customers’ cheeks, calves and shoulders without permission between November 7 and 12, 2022, around one month. after opening for business.
According to the summary of facts read in court, the three women received Botox treatment at Zhang’s center after word of mouth and recommendations on social media. Two were told Zhang was a doctor and allowed to administer medical injections.
Zhang admitted three counts of unregistered medical treatment resulting in personal injury. Zhang and beautician Lau Lo were jointly charged with two offences, to which the latter pleaded not guilty.
Acting Chief Justice Ko Wai-hung heard that a former employee of the beauty center introduced Zhang to two of her friends through social media between October and November 2022.
Ko ordered Zhang to serve all three charges concurrently, adding that the case was “very serious” as all three women had experienced adverse side effects.
Hong Kong police arrest 2 women for illegal Botox injections
Hong Kong police arrest 2 women for illegal Botox injections
“The court needs to send a clear message to the public that all medical treatments must be administered by a registered doctor, especially for these invasive injections,” he said. “A custodial sentence is therefore an unavoidable sentence.”
The court also heard that the victims paid between HK$1,500 (US$192) and HK$3,000 for the botulinum toxin injections, commonly known as Botox.
One woman was injected in her calves and shoulders twice, while another went for a face slimming treatment and received three injections in each cheek.
Dizziness, dysphonia, limb weakness, belt weakness, difficulty breathing, facial swelling, and urinary incontinence were among the symptoms complained of days after treatment.
The third victim, who went in for an eyebrow tattoo on November 10 but agreed to have an additional Botox facial slimming treatment, also experienced similar symptoms a week later.
All three required hospital treatment. Medical reports indicated that the third victim suffered facial nerve damage.
Police arrested Zhang on December 1 of that year and found glass bottles containing local anesthetic and adrenaline in her office in Jordan.
Hong Kong Doctor Among 4 Arrested For Bad Botox Injections
Hong Kong Doctor Among 4 Arrested For Bad Botox Injections
He was initially charged with an additional charge of possession of unregistered medicinal products or Part I poison, but the prosecution on Wednesday agreed to drop it.
In mitigation, Zhang said she never claimed to be a doctor and the center was set up by her and another partner a month before these incidents.
Her adviser said Zhang had “learned” and intended to leave the beauty industry and return to mainland China after serving her time.
The other defendant will attend another pre-trial hearing on April 16.
