Hong Kong court sentences beauty centre manager to 4 months in jail over illegally injecting Botox into 3 women

A Hong Kong beauty centre manager has been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to illegally injecting Botox into three women, who suffered serious side effects, such as muscle weakness and dysphonia.

Kowloon City Court on Wednesday heard that Zhang Min, 44, managed the now-closed CC Beauty in Jordan and provided Botox injections to the three customers into their cheeks, calves and shoulders without a licence between November 7 and 12, 2022, about a month after opening for business.

According to the summary of facts read out in court, the three women received Botox treatment at Zhang’s centre after word of mouth and social media recommendations. Two were told that Zhang was a doctor and allowed to administer medical injections.

Zhang admitted to three counts of performing medical treatment without a registration resulting in personal injury. Zhang and beautician Lau Lo were jointly charged with two offences, which the latter pleaded not guilty to.

Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung heard that a former employee of the beauty centre recommended Zhang to two of her friends via social media between October and November in 2022.

Ko ordered Zhang to serve all three charges concurrently, adding the case was “very serious” as all three women had experienced adverse side effects.

Hong Kong police arrest 2 women over illegal Botox injections

“The court has to send a clear message to the public that all medical treatments must be administered by a registered doctor, especially for those invasive injections,” he said. “Custodial sentence is therefore an inevitable punishment.”

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 on each cheek.

Dizziness, dysphonia, limb weakness, girdle weakness, breathing difficulty, facial swelling and urinary incontinence were among the symptoms they complained of days after the treatment.

The third victim, who went for a brow tattoo on November 10 but agreed to receive an additional face-slimming Botox treatment, also experienced similar symptoms a week after.

All three required hospital treatment. Medical reports showed that the third victim suffered facial nerve damage.

Police arrested Zhang on December 1 that year and found glass bottles containing local anaesthetic and adrenaline in her Jordan office.

Hong Kong doctor among 4 arrested over botched Botox injections

She was initially charged with an additional count of possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products, or Part I poisons, but the prosecution on Wednesday agreed to withdraw it.

In mitigation, Zhang said she never claimed to be a doctor and the centre was set up by her and another partner a month before these incidents took place.

Her counsel said Zhang had “learned her lesson” and intended to quit the beauty industry and return to mainland China after serving her time.

The other defendant will attend another hearing on April 16 before trial.