An undercover sting has allegedly revealed that a Vancouver woman has been hosting Botox parties – despite not being a licensed health professional – and going against a previous court order, according to B.C.’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Undercover private investigators attended a “Botox and filler party” in Vancouver in February, and allegedly obtained video evidence that Maria Ezzati was administering cosmetic medical injectables to three different people for cash, the regulator claimed in a notice on Wednesday.
The college was granted an order from B.C. Supreme Court judge to search Ezzati’s property and said it will appear in court later in March to report on the items seized.
Under B.C. regulations, only licensed health professionals who are registered with the college can administer Botox.
Ezzati, who is a qualified physician in Ireland, was first placed on the regulator’s radar in April 2017 after officials were advised that she was administering cosmetic Botox and dermal fillers in her Vancouver office. The regulator obtained a court injunction against Ezzati, court documents read, which prohibited her from giving Botox injections as well as referring to herself as a doctor.
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But Ezzati was back in court in 2018, after the college claimed Ezzati was going against the court order by setting up a storefront in Richmond, called CH Beauty Care. A B.C. Supreme Court judge found Ezzati in contempt for referring to herself as a doctor on her website, staybeautiful.info, which has since been taken down.
The college said on Wednesday it plans to put forward a fresh application in court to have Ezzati held in contempt for her most recent alleged conduct that violates the injunction.
“Receiving an injection of a prescription drug from an unlicensed practitioner is risky and has the potential for complications, including reaction to agents, infections, or greater harm due to human error,” Dr. Heidi Oetter, regulator CEO, said in a statement.
“There is no assurance that the practitioner is competent or qualified to provide treatment, or that the instruments and products being used were provided by a licensed manufacturer.”
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