A woman who offered jabs of a 'new type of Botox' has said she almost died as it turned out she had been injected with an illegal treatment.
The BBC reports that County Durham woman Kaylie Bailey paid a woman £75 for three 'Botox' injections, which was half what she'd paid the woman for them before, and several days later she was having difficulty seeing.
36-year-old Kaylie went to Sunderland Royal Hospital where doctors initially didn't know what was wrong with her, thinking that she might have an eye condition called ptosis and sent her home with instructions to rest.
She was told to warn her GP if things got worse and that her 'Botox' injections were likely related to what was happening to her, while the hospital trust told the BBC that botulinum toxicity is rare enough that most doctors won't encounter it during their careers.
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A few days later, Kaylie was back in hospital as she was feeling much worse and it was then that she was diagnosed with botulism, which is related to the toxin Clostridium botulinum which Botox comes from.
Botulism is a rare condition and the NHS says it is life-threatening as the toxins attack a person's nervous system and can cause paralysis.
It can be fatal if the toxins affect the muscles which control breathing, and the NHS estimates that in between five and 10 percent of cases botulism ends up being deadly.
Drooping eyelids, a symptom of ptosis, is also one of the signs of botulism.
Kaylie was one of those who stopped breathing, though fortunately she was able to be resuscitated and spent three days in intensive care.
She told the BBC: "I remember lying on the bed thinking 'I'm dying here and I don't want to'."
Kaylie then contacted the woman who injected her with the 'Botox' and was told there was a 'nationwide problem with the product'.
However, the BBC reports that Kaylie had actually been injected with something called Toxpia, which is an anti-wrinkle treatment similar to Botox that's illegal in the UK.
"I cannot believe she's even dared to do that to people," Kaylie said.
"She didn't even know what was in it and we're having to live with what she's done to us.
"I've nearly died because of it."
She is not the only woman to suffer from Toxpia injections, as the BBC adds that 54-year-old Paula Harrison was admitted to hospital in May after having injections of what she thought was Botox the same woman.
The UK Health Security Agency is leading an ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, as per the BBC, the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner."
Joe Harker