Women poisoned by fake Botox

An aesthetic beautician left one woman fighting for her life and several others seriously ill in hospital after injecting them with Toxpia, an illegal Botox-type anti-wrinkle treatment. 

The patch over Kaylie Bailey's left eye is a daily reminder of when her beauty treatment nearly killed her.

The 36-year-old mum-of-three from Peterlee, County Durham, had paid Gemma Gray £75 for three "Botox" injections, half of what it had cost on a previous visit - the bargain turned out to be too good to be true.

Within days, Ms Bailey was struggling to see.

Doctors at Sunderland Royal Hospital were initially baffled and diagnosed her with ptosis, an eye condition characterised by the drooping of the upper eyelid, and told her to go home to rest.

The hospital trust said that when Ms Bailey was discharged she had been advised to visit her GP if her condition worsened, and it had been explained to her that her symptoms were probably related to the treatment she had had.

It added that botulinum toxicity was a very rare condition "not seen by the majority of doctors during their careers".

But when her condition deteriorated over the following days, Ms Bailey rushed back to hospital where this time she was told she had botulism, a rare but life-threatening condition caused by a bacterium.

By that point, she was one of 28 people to have been diagnosed with the toxic poisoning in north-east England after having anti-wrinkle jabs.

Ms Bailey stopped breathing and required resuscitation.

She spent three days on the Intensive Care Unit and was treated with an anti-toxin.

The Department of Health and Social Care said people's lives were being put at risk by "inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector" and the government was looking into new regulations.

"We urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner," a spokesperson said.

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Source: BBC News, 3 July 2025