'I paid fake doctor thousands for fillers - now I look like a gargoyle'

Andrea covers her look erstwhile she leaves the house, due to the fact that she worries radical volition laughter astatine her, 2 years aft having cosmetic procedures.

"I spot a gargoyle... thing horrible, disgusting," she tells the BBC.

"I unrecorded a nightmare each azygous day."

The 60-year-old initially visited Reshape U cosmetics session successful Hull successful December 2021 for bosom fillers.

She says she did "all the close things" to cheque the clinic's estimation and felt further reassured speechmaking connected its website that it "won Best Aesthetics Clinic successful Yorkshire successful 2022 astatine the England Business Awards".

She was seen astatine the session by Sean Scott. Posts connected societal media pages for Reshape U and Faces by Sean astatine the clip referred to him arsenic Dr Sean Scott, Clinical Director. Videos posted by the aforesaid accounts successful January and April 2023 amusement a plaque connected his doorway successful the session saying Dr Sean Scott, hPhd, Clinical Director.

However, the BBC has discovered Mr Scott is not medically trained. He said helium "naively and regretfully" bought an honorary doctorate successful concern consultancy online and displayed the certificate successful his clinic.

He says helium did not represent himself arsenic a aesculapian doc and claimed helium informed clients who asked that helium was not medically qualified. He says helium stopped utilizing the fake rubric connected proposal from Hull City Council (HCC) successful 2024, with the authorization telling him it was "misleading".

Andrea claims Mr Scott gave her antibiotics to instrumentality aft her archetypal bosom filler process successful December 2021. She says helium gave her antibiotics again erstwhile she returned the pursuing period for a 2nd bosom filler procedure.

"I trusted successful everything that helium said to me... due to the fact that helium knew what helium was connected astir - helium was the doctor," Andrea admits.

The General Medical Council, which regulates doctors, says lone "medical professionals" tin prescribe antibiotics and Botox and they should lone bash truthful if they person "adequate knowledge" of the patient.

Mr Scott has told the BBC helium did not prescribe the antibiotics oregon Botox, and alternatively utilized a "registered prescriber with an authorised pharmacy" to get the medicine online.

Two months aft receiving bosom fillers, Andrea says Mr Scott encouraged her to person facial fillers.

Dermal fillers are injections of hyaluronic acid, which are utilized to capable wrinkles and adhd measurement to tissue.

Andrea claims Mr Scott told her helium thought her cheeks were "uneven" and helium could assistance "harmonise" her face.

Andrea had filler successful her cheeks, chin and jaw but says her look started swelling and acheronian marks appeared. From determination she says the supposedly "simple procedure" turned into a catalogue of botched treatments.

Andrea claims Mr Scott told her the swellings were caused by an insect wound and says she was encouraged to person further treatments.

Mr Scott powerfully denies the allegations, adding: "Never erstwhile did we execute immoderate treatments portion the lawsuit was showing immoderate signs of swelling, bruising oregon immoderate different broadside effect."

He said the lone complaints Andrea initially made were that she "wasn't rather happy" with the treatments, and that is the crushed she had "so many" follow-up appointments.

Mr Scott besides claimed Andrea had visited different clinics for attraction during this period, including 1 which damaged her skin, and that his session treated this damage. Andrea says she lone had 1 dermal filler attraction elsewhere, which she was blessed with, 3 years earlier visiting Mr Scott.

Mr Scott was a tattooist for 33 years earlier opening Reshape U successful 2019. He besides runs an aesthetics grooming business, the Yorkshire Aesthetics Training Academy.

Over the people of 10 months, Andrea had much than 30 appointments with Mr Scott, including for fillers, Botox and threads. Mr Scott said helium lone carried retired procedures astatine immoderate of these appointments.

Andrea sold jewellery and borrowed wealth to wage for the treatments, which added up to thousands of pounds, but says the absorption got worse.

In October 2022, she says she went to hospital, hardly capable to unfastened her eyes. In letters from integrative surgeons seen by the BBC, Andrea was told her reactions were caused by the cosmetic procedures.

A cosmetics adept who has examined Andrea since said her scarring was apt caused by an infection, which tin hap from cosmetic procedures but is uncommon successful a cleanable situation with bully techniques.

The BBC is alert of astatine slightest 3 different complaints made astir Mr Scott and the usage of a fake qualification.

Two of those were made to registered practitioner work Save Face.

Director Ashton Collins said the radical who reported "bad practice" by Mr Scott had chosen him due to the fact that they were nether the content helium was a doctor.

Health and information officers from HCC visited Mr Scott's premises successful 2024 aft concerns were raised astir his credentials.

The assembly said it recovered a fig of issues requiring betterment but nary ceremonial enactment was taken due to the fact that the concern was receptive to its requests.

Mr Scott told the BBC the session had taken proposal and "totally reviewed each our procedures" since then.

He added: "While we whitethorn person made mistakes successful the opening we person ever fixed 100% of our quality to our clients. We person learnt invaluable lessons and progressed with ongoing grooming and improvement already."

Warnings astir the aesthetics manufacture person been made for years.

In 2013, a reappraisal of the regularisation of cosmetics concluded dermal fillers were "a situation waiting to happen" due to the fact that anyone tin beryllium a practitioner, "with nary request for knowledge, grooming oregon erstwhile experience".

In 2022, the Health and Care Act gave the authorities powers to present licensing for non-surgical cosmetic procedures successful England. This is yet to beryllium enacted.

The archetypal decease from a cosmetic procedure was recorded successful the UK successful 2024.

Dr Paul Charlson, who is an aesthetics doc successful East Yorkshire and subordinate of the Joint Council for Cosmetics Practitioners (JCCP), warns determination volition beryllium "more deaths and much disfigurement" unless the authorities "gets connected with" enacting the authorities helium helped to gully up alongside others crossed the industry.

"If the authorities said we privation this successful in six months, it could beryllium done," helium said.

The JCCP said it had dealt with an "explosion successful complaints" from section councils astir mediocre signifier successful the sector. In 2023, it was alert of complaints from 2 section authorities, compared with 65 by the extremity of 2024.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson did not remark connected Dr Charlson's criticisms, but said it was "unacceptable" that people's lives were astatine hazard from "inadequately trained operators successful the cosmetic sector", and that it was "urgently exploring options for further regulation".

They urged anyone considering cosmetic procedures to find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner.

Andrea says she has been scarred some mentally and physically, suffering regularly with symptom successful her look and says she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic accent disorder.

"I would ne'er bash it again and I would ne'er counsel anyone to bash it," she says.

caroline.bilton@bbc.co.uk. Please permission a interaction fig if you are blessed for Caroline oregon the squad to get successful touch.