“I feel absolutely disgraceful. I’m stressed and overwhelmed. It’s really upset me”
Harvey before the treatments(Image: Harvey Rob Logan Delaney)
A teenager said his face was partly “paralysed” after receiving Botox and filler treatments at a Liverpool beauty salon. Harvey Rob Logan Delaney, 19, said he had Botox in his forehead plus lip, cheek and jaw filler at Brat Aesthetics on Park Road, Dingle, in September.
Harvey, from Walton, said he was not asked for any personal ID before having the procedures and did not have a prescription for Botox, which is prescription-only in the UK. The teenager told the ECHO: “My right eye is halfway closed. I can’t move it. The filler has migrated. I look a mess. I won’t even walk out of the house.
“I feel absolutely disgraceful. I’m stressed and overwhelmed. It’s really upset me, especially knowing it can’t be reversed.
“Imagine going in not very confident and wanting to get a change done, then coming out looking like a clown.”
Harvey says his right eye is stuck half closed following the procedures(Image: Harvey Rob Logan Delaney )
On Instagram, the salon claims to be run by a “celebrity injector” with nine years of experience and lists locations in Liverpool, London and Dubai.
However, according to the Joint Council for Cosmetic Procedures (JCCP), Claudia Pitter, who is listed as the company’s only director with Companies House, is not qualified to safely carry out Botox injections. On her Companies House entry, she is described as an aesthetic practitioner. The JCCP operates a voluntary register of practitioners and has backed government efforts to introduce new measures to regulate and license cosmetic procedures.
In an email message to Harvey, a trustee of the JCCP said: “The JCCP is not able to obtain a refund, as it does not appear that Claudia Pitter has the right qualifications to administer the treatment you received.”
The ECHO put Harvey’s claims and the issue of her qualifications to Brat Aesthetics and Ms Pitter but did not receive a response to a number of messages, emails and calls.
In messages shared with the ECHO, Harvey messaged the salon on Instagram saying: “It’s given me a lazy eye and wonky lips. It’s a botch job. This isn’t something minor; it could have left me blind.”
Brat Aesthetics on Park Road(Image: Iain Watts/Liverpool ECHO )
The salon replied: “Sorry you feel this way, I’m not sure who is feeding you this information but it is incorrect.” The message continued: “Claudia has been performing these treatments for nearly 10 year’s (sic) now and is highly qualified”.
Harvey, who is originally from Bradford in West Yorkshire, claims he has since been blocked on Instagram by Ms Pitter.
Harvey told the ECHO: “I checked Google reviews and they seemed fine. I thought it was a 10 out of 10 place. The procedure was done in five minutes. She wore no PPE, and her hair was dangling in my face.
“No one seems to care. I’d tell anyone thinking of getting injections to wait a couple of years. Nowadays with social media, people always want to improve.”
Harvey says he paid £400 for the procedures in total, with £80 being for the Botox. The ECHO found several other clinics in Liverpool listing Botox treatments, all of which priced their treatments at a significantly higher starting figure.
Harvey says the filler in his lips has migrated (Image: Harvey Rob Logan Delaney )Can you safely get Botox at a salon?
Botox is a brand name for botulinum toxin injections. It is widely used in the UK as a cosmetic treatment and can be given privately.
However, botulinum toxin injections are prescription-only medicines and shouldn’t be administered without a prescription, such as from a doctor or nurse prescriber.
According to the JCCP, the person receiving the injection should be seen face-to-face by a healthcare professional in order to ensure they are medically and psychologically fit to receive such treatment.
This would include a look into the person’s medical history, including current medications they are taking, and assessing for risks such as body dysmorphic disorder, a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance.
The doctor or nurse prescriber should also check the competence of whoever is set to administer the injection.
While it isn’t currently written into law, there is official guidance on what qualifications someone should hold before administering Botox as provided by Health Education England Cosmetic Qualifications and approved by the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners.
The qualification needed to administer Botox safely is a Level 6 (degree level) or Level 7 (a postgraduate qualification), depending on where it is injected.
The JCCP holds a voluntary register for approved practitioners for the purpose of added security for people getting treatment. Only healthcare professionals are approved by the JCCP and beauty therapists are not regulated.
Advice from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says: “If you are offered botulinum toxin without a medical consultation, in an informal setting, or at a price significantly below usual rates, this should be treated as a warning sign. Lower cost does not mean safe; it may put your health at risk and could lead to hospitalisation.”
Can you safely get fillers at a salon?
While fillers don’t always require a prescription, according to the JCCP, they are “regulated medical devices” and should come from trusted suppliers.
Though this isn’t easy to enforce.
NHS advice states that before receiving an injection, you should know:
the name of the product that will be usedwhere the product came fromwhat qualifications, training and experience they have
The NHS says to avoid practitioners who’ve only completed a short training course in your chosen procedure. This is because complications of dermal fillers can be serious, including infection, nerve damage and blindness.
The JCCP says that receiving BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift) treatments with dermal filler is especially dangerous.