Wrong injection thought to have caused Hong Kong woman’s beauty parlour coma
Police officers believe beauticians intended to give anaesthetic shot but gave adrenaline instead, at Tsim Sha Tsui shop
A woman who fell into a coma at a beauty parlour was on Tuesday thought to have been given an adrenaline shot by accident, instead of an anaesthetic.
Officers were still questioning the woman’s sister, who runs the parlour, and another woman about the incident. The sister, 50, and the 33-year-old beautician from the mainland were both held on suspicion of practising medicine without a licence and possessing and using a controlled drug.
The younger woman, who arrived from Shenzhen last Friday, was also arrested for breaching the conditions of her stay as a visitor to Hong Kong.
One police source said it seemed “the mainland beautician had received a 10-day training course on beauty treatment, such as wrinkle-removing procedures, in South Korea.”
“Police were told that such treatment is part of plastic surgery procedures, and must be carried out by doctors or experts in Hong Kong,” he said, adding that police understood the two suspects were not qualified to do it.
According to police, the victim arrived at the Tsim Sha Tsui beauty centre at about 1.30pm on Monday.
“Investigations revealed that the victim was wrongly injected with adrenaline in the face during the procedure,” another source said.
It was understood that the mainland woman gave the shot, and that she had intended to give an anaesthetic, ahead of a procedure to lift and tighten the skin on the woman’s face.
The source said the woman vomited and then passed out after the shot.
The victim’s sister called paramedics and police to the scene at about 2.30pm. A doctor from the Department of Health was also sent there.
Inside the beauty parlour, as well as arresting the pair, officers seized four small, empty bottles from the consultation room. One of the bottles had been used to keep adrenaline and the other three for anaesthetic.
Officers found another 14 bottles filled with adrenaline or anaesthetic at the parlour, and took those for examination too.
By Tuesday evening, the two suspects were still being held for questioning. They had not been charged.
