Derek Couper

While Botox has been increasing in its use for some time among image conscious people who want to look their best, the influence of online platforms – and particularly TikTok – has taken its use to the next level.

No longer just for eliminating unwanted lines or the like, the uses for Botox are now vast. From the ‘hot lips’ trend of using Botox to achieve an upturn in the upper lip, through to ‘Barbie Botox’ – which involves a procedure to elongate the neck and slim the shoulders – these trends and challenges are catching on at an alarming rate.

And with estimates that more than 80 per cent of the so-called Gen Z population actively use TikTok, its influence shows no signs of abating. New challenges are becoming globally popular all the time, accompanied by the all-important hashtags, which are helping to perpetuate the use of Botox even further.

But while taking part in such online trends may generate a few clicks and comments, what we risk losing sight of is the danger to people’s health and the potential long-term implications of taking part in such fads.

The word ‘Botox’ has become a catch-all term for a product that has been used by health professionals in clinics to support people in their cosmetic ‘tweakment’ aspirations – while Botox itself is a perfectly legitimate product, and there are a number of other licensed versions, unfortunately there are many other varieties which are not what people think they are.

Wholly unlicensed ‘Botox’ is sadly on the rise – not too far from Scotland, in the North East of England, recently we saw an outbreak of potentially-fatal botulism linked to a rogue batch of supposed Botox, a condition so rare that some hospitals did not have the treatments readily available to support the 28 people who sought emergency treatment.
While people seeking unregulated treatments have no guarantees over the quality of product that is being used, sadly their choice of Botox administrator may also be misguided.
In Scotland, we currently have no regulation around who can give Botox. Anyone can pass themselves off as an ‘expert’ – and unless you are a healthcare professional subject to scrutiny from bodies including the HCPC and GMC, you can practice as you please. No accountability, no checks, nothing. We will probably all agree this is a ludicrous situation, but without decisive action from the Scottish government, this is where we are, and why we are seeing wholly unreputable and unsuitable individuals and locations offering ‘Botox’ procedures.

For the primarily young audience who take part in TikTok challenges, who are indeed influenced by the ‘influencers’ who appear on this platform and encourage such participation, it is deeply worrying that ‘Botox’ is so readily available. Unregulated processes are most likely much cheaper and more easily accessible, meaning that the dangers these people face are very real. While ideally they will have done their research around best providers and safe practices, in reality, we know this doesn’t always happen.
The dangers of Botox and similar procedures going wrong are very serious. This is a toxin which can carry many side effects, and administered wrongly, it can have life-changing physical consequences. If it is a rogue batch, the implications can be hugely damaging to a person’s health – botulism, as we saw only a few weeks ago, can cause paralysis or even death.

In terms of seeking redress, if something has gone wrong in a treatment carried out by a licensed professional, then the appropriate insurance and accountability will be in place, so that a complaint can be made and a legal claim pursued, to secure fair and just compensation for the ordeal a person has been through. But in the case of those who are not qualified to carry out Botox procedures, they will not have the necessary insurance – which means mounting a legal claim will be much more challenging.

Having seen the consequences of this kind of procedure going wrong many times, with clients’ lives being ruined through the physical and psychological consequences of rogue treatments from unlicensed operators, I cannot stress too many times the need for extreme caution in participating in these TikTok crazes.

Given the lack of regulation that exists, and the fact the government still has not intervened to address this urgent issue, it is vitally important that Botox is only sought from a trained professional with appropriate qualifications and indemnities in place – TikTok trends will never be reason enough to risk your health and long-term wellbeing.

Derek Couper is head of clinical negligence at Slater and Gordon in Scotland