Consumers must avoid Botox offers on daily deal sites

Consumers are being warned today that purchasing Botox on daily deal and group buying websites is incredibly unsafe and many of the offers could even be illegal.

The Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) has spoken out against group purchasing deals offering heavily discounted cosmetic injectable treatments and is urging consumers to “shop responsibly.”

According to the IHAS, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) specifically states that Botox should not be advertised or promoted to the public as it is a prescription only medication.

The IHAS is now advising consumers looking to receive a Botox treatment to consult its Register of Injectable Cosmetic Providers Quality Assurance Mark, Treatments You Can Trust, to ensure the practitioner they are thinking of using is appropriately regulated and qualified.

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Sally Taber, from Treatments You Can Trust, said: “With 1.4 million cosmetic injectable treatments expected to be conducted in the UK alone this year, we are concerned by the increasing number of misleading and potentially unsafe deals for such treatments on group buying sites which are not only misleading but also putting the public at risk.

“These deals invariably fail to clarify the clinical background of the practitioner and the appropriate clinical environment in which the treatment will be conducted, as poor cleanliness can lead to infection.

She added: “Low standards in either or both can lead to permanent physical damage.

“Group buying sites are also trivialising cosmetic injectable treatments by forcing consumers into making a hasty decision which can lead to unfortunate consequences.”

The nature of such websites means consumers are made to commit to and pay for a treatment before undergoing the necessary clinical suitability assessment.

It is the Medicines Act 1973 that the daily deal sites are flouting, which specifies Botox can only be prescribed and administered by qualified doctors, dentists or registered nurses.

The ASA also states that such offers and discounts should not be restricted by time-limited incentives or deadlines.

Meanwhile, the IHAS has also warned that beauty therapists who are promoting and offering Botox injections as part of their service do not have the clinical and medical background required to administer such a treatment.

The IHAS has also pointed out that aftercare, which is an important part of a Botox treatment, is not part of these group buying offers.

It believes a lack of vital aftercare compromises patient safety and also contravenes the IHAS Standards for administering cosmetic injectable treatments.

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