Dozens of cosmetic practitioners are breaching official British guidelines by offering “new year body” Botox deals on Instagram.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says the prescription-only drug cannot be marketed. Experts warn that women can rush into time-limited deals, taking unnecessary treatment.
Many clinics have avoided detection by using the phrase “anti-wrinkle injections”, putting the word “Botox” in an image rather than a caption.
One nurse-led service in Chester, Aesthetics by Kerry, posted on Instagram: “3 areas of Botox for the price of 2 — £190 instead of £250 — a saving of £60!” A caption added: “New year, new face! Save yourself some ££ on your Botox for the next four weeks ONLY!”
A representative told The Times that she had not been aware of the rules and agreed to take down the advertisements. She insisted that she always encouraged clients to take their time before deciding on treatment.
Aesthetics by Dawn J, another nurse-based service in Cheshire, says that women should treat themselves after the “hard work” of Christmas. An image bore the slogan: “Women don’t cry into a pint of ice cream when they’re sad anymore. They get Botox.” Clients are encouraged “to take advantage of our January offers”.
A representative claimed last night that she would also take down the images. She said that she held face-to-face consultations before treatments.
A leading doctor warned that the time-sensitive advertisements could be a harmful influence. Tijion Esho, a cosmetic doctor who founded The ESHO Clinic, said that Botox injections were “medical treatments with large risks”.
He said there had been a “massive rise” in the treatment for clients aged 18 to 25, before wrinkles had developed.
Dr Esho said that social media was “huge” for that age group and “these platforms can trivialise procedures”.
In an indication of how widespread Botox advertisements have become, the ASA issued an enforcement notice to 130,000 businesses this week in the cosmetics services industry.
An ASA official confirmed that the advertisements identified by The Times were in breach of guidelines.
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