The dangers of DIY Botox.

EXCLUSIVE The number of people wanting cosmetic procedures is rocketing and some are even injecting themselves with cut-price drugs bought online. But they could end up paying dearly.

Don't try this at home. Buying black market Botox online and injecting yourself could seriously harm your looks or endanger your life.

And yet those in search of cut-price, wrinkle-smoothing shots are turning to the internet for cheap DIY filler kits - often with devastating results.

Paralysis, lop-sided lips, droopy eyelids, blistered and infected facial sores and even admission to intensive care are some of things that can happen after using dodgy jabs.

Doctors fear it is only a matter of time before someone pays for budget Botox with their life.

Dr Aamer Khan, of London's Harley Street Medical Skin Clinic, trains medical practitioners to use cosmetic drugs such as Botox. But he believes people are blind to its potentially deadly effects and see only the knock-down price.

"The first thing to say about Botulinum-A Toxin (Botox) is that it is the most toxic substance known to mankind," says Dr Khan. "One teaspoon could kill 90 billion people. It could wipe out the world's population, which is why it was considered a biological weapon.
Yourlife: Botox

"Botox has become part of our culture because it's used cosmetically, but it's used in tiny, strictly-measured doses and is stringently tested. Using it without anatomical knowledge, without knowing the exact quality of the product, could be fatal."

In the UK it is illegal to advertise prescription-only medications like Botox, and to sell them without a prescription. But foreign websites can dodge the ban. And after a few clicks on a computer, vials of facial filler drugs complete with syringes can be shipped to your door.

Online pharmacy ads do their best to lure customers, with slogans such as "Wrinkles? No! Savings? Yes!".

They give false assurances that injecting yourself is easy as well as economical. Don't know where to stick the syringe? A facial map and online video will point out where to position your needle. Can't afford the £200-a-shot clinic prices? Buy a kit online for five times cheaper at £350 for 10 DIY jabs.

But what the sites don't state is that many users go on to spend fortunes with qualified surgeons to correct their botched efforts.

Story from Briton's Mirror Newspaper.