Carol Ann Edwards, 38, also lied about being a nurse practitioner
A Welsh woman who lied she was a trainee nurse advertised a Botox treatment but injected clients with an alternative without a licence, a court heard. Carol Ann Edwards, trading as 5 Star Aesthetics in Angelsey, uses social media to advertise her “Botox treatments”.
Two complainants told the court that they booked and paid for the treatments and later complained that “Botox” did not have the desired effect. Despite the fact that they were eventually offered additional sessions, they were both trying to get a response from her.
Botox is a trademarked and registered drug that must be prescribed after proper consultation.
However, the 38-year-old was not using Botox as advertised “but an unlicensed inferior alternative product, called Fraxin, which may have a similar effect but is not approved for use in the UK”, according to Anglesey Council.
Anglesey Trading Standards received a number of complaints from customers in relation to remedies and the business owner’s failure to respond to them between April and October 2023, it says NorthWalesLive.
Due to the nature of the treatment and equipment involved, complaints do not fall under the remit of the local Environmental Health licensing regime, as the provision of non-surgical cosmetic procedures is not currently regulated.
Trading Standards officials contacted Edwards about trading practices and poor customer service. During the discussions, Edwards informed the officers that the substance she had used was not actually Botox but an alternative called Fraxin.
Edwards failed to acknowledge any problem with her actions. She also told officers she was a trainee nurse in the final year of her qualification. This was later found to be untrue. Don’t miss a court report by signing up in our crime newsletter here.
At Caernarfon Crown Court on Wednesday, Carol Ann Edwards, 38, from Bethesda, was given a 12-month community order, 15 days’ rehabilitation and ordered to pay a £500 fine plus £1,000 compensation.
She had pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing on January 12.
Sentencing Judge Timothy Petts summarized that the two clients thought they were getting Botox and would not have agreed if they had known it was an unlicensed alternative with unknown side effects. Although the amount of monetary loss was relatively low, the potential for harm was much greater.
He also added that the pre-sentence report had identified mental health difficulties resulting in poor judgment as opposed to intent to harm, and that the compensation awarded was higher than the cost of treatment to reflect the added stress on the victims.
Anglesey’s public protection portfolio holder, Cllr Nicola Roberts, said: “This was financial gain and unfair competitive advantage by replacing a high-quality drug with a cheaper, unlicensed alternative.
“Fortunately the victims suffered no unwanted side effects.”
Anglesey Trading Standards director Emma Jones warned people to be careful when considering non-surgical cosmetic treatments. He added: “Although at first they may seem lower risks than surgical alternatives, unregulated cosmetic treatments do not require qualifications, licensing or adherence to any codes of professional conduct.
“In Wales, compulsory licensing for special procedures only applies to acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing. Therefore, all other non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including Botox and dermal fillers, continue to be unregulated.”
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