Aesthetic medicine: 104 reports of illegal injections in 2023, a six-year record

But on social networks they promise half-price injections to enlarge lips, erase dark circles and improve the nose. On the other hand, these pseudo-specialists, without any training, illegally steal from apartments, storage rooms and beauty salons. Since 2020, the realm of beauty, an obsession for many young people, has turned into a mutilation. Two years later, faced with the scale of broken faces, pierced mouths and necrotic noses, the National Union of Aesthetic Surgery (SNCPRE) declared a national alert.

And where are we today? “There are still a lot of fake injectors out there,” complains company president Adel Louafi. At that time it was believed that there were several hundred of them. This phenomenon continues despite warnings. » This is evidenced by exclusive data from the National Council of the Order of Physicians, which we publish: the number of reports of illegal activities for aesthetic purposes increased again between 2022 and 2023, increasing from 55 to 104, of which “75 were the subject of “aggression”. appeal to the prosecutor.”

So nothing has changed? “If ! Awareness among the public, health authorities and the judiciary is growing. There have been arrests and convictions,” continues Adel Louafi.

In a high-profile trial in September, two Northern sisters went on trial for administering wild Botox and hyaluronic acid injections to more than 600 clients, 24 of whom filed complaints. The woman who called herself “Dr. Lugain” and guaranteed her “favorites” the “best results in oral enhancement” was sentenced to four years in prison, three of which were suspended. Her younger sister, who admitted helping her, received two years probation.

To end this scourge, doctors want to go further. In March 2023, 200 cosmetic surgeons called on Le Parisien newspaper to ban the sale of hyaluronic acid to the public. If in France only doctors have the right to perform these actions, then anyone can purchase pre-filled syringes at a pharmacy.

France has submitted a draft decree to the European Commission. “We would love to see this appear! says Catherine Bergeret-Galle, Secretary General of SNCPRE, impatiently. Meanwhile, counterfeit injectors continue to cause casualties. “I still get one call a week from people with complications,” worries Dr. Adele Louafi. There are so many of them that I can no longer take care of them. »