Two arrested after woman falls into coma from ‘adrenaline shot’ at Hong Kong beauty clinic
Customer in critical condition at Queen Elizabeth Hospital
A woman was in a critical condition in hospital on Monday night after falling into a coma at a beauty parlour, having apparently been given an adrenaline shot.
Two women from the shop had been arrested over the incident.
A worker at the beauty centre in Yiu Kei Mansion on Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, called paramedics and police to the scene soon after 2.30pm when the woman, 55, fell unconscious.
The client, a Hongkonger, was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment. The Hospital Authority said on Monday night she was in critical condition.
“Police were told that the woman was injected with adrenaline before she passed out,” a police source said.
Horrific details of a Hong Kong beauty clinic treatment gone fatally wrong
Superintendent Chan Tsz-leung, assistant commander of Yau Tsim district crime squad, said the two women were arrested for possessing and using a poison without a licence.
Chan said one was a Hongkonger in charge of the beauty parlour and the other a mainland visitor.
He said investigators found 14 samples of poison in the parlour and further tests were under way to identify the type and dosage.
He added that their investigation found the beautician had no previous experience of conducting the treatment involved in the case.
The parlour – which offers skin care, laser treatment and weight loss services – had been operating since May last year, police said.
The government proposed tighter regulations for the industry after a high-profile case in 2012 involving a DR Group beauty clinic in which a woman died and two others became seriously ill after receiving treatment.
Federation of Beauty Industry chairwoman Frances Chiu Siu-ling said all injections in beauty clinics should be performed only by doctors.
It was unclear if any doctor was present at the Tsim Sha Tsui centre when the woman received the treatment.
Dr Gordon Ma Fong-ying, a specialist in plastic surgery, said adrenaline was a drug commonly used by doctors in various circumstances. He cited the example of adrenaline being mixed with painkillers and saline solution to reduce bleeding and pain in liposuction procedures.
