Hong Kong court sentences beauty centre manager to 4 months in jail over illegally injecting botox into 3 women
- Zhang Min, 44, managed CC Beauty and injected botox into three customers’ cheeks, calves and shoulders without licence between November 7 and 12, 2022
- One victim suffered facial nerve damage week after undergoing face-slimming botox treatment
A Hong Kong beauty centre manager has been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to illegally injecting botox into three women, who suffered serious side effects, such as muscle weakness and dysphonia.
Kowloon City Court on Wednesday heard that Zhang Min, 44, managed the now-closed CC Beauty in Jordan and provided botox injections to the three customers into their cheeks, calves and shoulders without a licence between November 7 and 12, 2022, about a month after opening for business.
According to the summary of facts read out in court, the three women received botox treatment at Zhang’s centre after word of mouth and social media recommendations. Two were told that Zhang was a doctor and allowed to administer medical injections.
Zhang admitted to three counts of performing medical treatment without a registration resulting in personal injury. Zhang and beautician Lau Lo were jointly charged with two offences, which the latter pleaded not guilty to.
Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung heard that a former employee of the beauty centre recommended Zhang to two of her friends via social media between October and November in 2022.
Ko ordered Zhang to serve all three charges concurrently, adding the case was “very serious” as all three women had experienced adverse side effects.
“The court has to send a clear message to the public that all medical treatments must be administered by a registered doctor, especially for those invasive injections,” he said. “Custodial sentence is therefore an inevitable punishment.”
