Bad fillers left Hull woman 'looking like a gargoyle'

A former tattoo artist who left a woman “looking like a gargoyle” after giving her a botched facial filler was posing as a doctor at his beauty clinic, a BBC investigation has revealed. Meanwhile, a leading practitioner has warned there could be more “deaths and disfigurement” as plans to regulate the industry continue to be delayed.

Andrea covers her face when leaving home because she fears people will laugh at her, two years after her plastic surgery.

“I saw a gargoyle… something horrible, disgusting,” she told the BBC.

“I live in a nightmare every day.”

The 60-year-old originally went to Hull's Reshape U cosmetic clinic in December 2021 for breast augmentation surgery.

She said she did “all the right things” to check the clinic’s reputation and was reassured to see on its website that the clinic had “won Best Aesthetic Clinic in Yorkshire at the 2022 England Business Awards”.

Sean Scott met her at the clinic. Posts posted by Sean on the Reshape U and Faces social media pages at the time referred to him as clinical director Dr. Sean Scott. Videos posted by the same account in January and April 2023 show a plaque hanging on the door of his clinic that reads Clinical Director Dr. Sean Scott.

However, the BBC found Mr Scott had no medical training. He said he “naively and regrettably” purchased an honorary doctorate in business consulting online and displayed the certificate at his clinic.

He said he did not portray himself as a doctor and claimed he told clients who asked about his lack of medical qualifications. He said he stopped using the false title in 2024 following advice from Hull City Council (HCC), who told him it was “misleading”.

Andrea claims Mr Scott gave her antibiotics after her first breast augmentation surgery in December 2021. She said when she returned the next month for a second breast augmentation surgery, Scott gave her antibiotics again.

“I believed everything he told me…because he knew what he was doing – he was a doctor,” Andrea admitted.

Only healthcare professionals with prescribing authority can prescribe antibiotics and Botox.

Mr Scott told the BBC he did not prescribe antibiotics or Botox but obtained the medication online through a “registered prescriber at an authorized pharmacy”.

Andrea said that two months after receiving breast fillers, Mr Scott encouraged her to get facial fillers.

Dermal fillers are injections of hyaluronic acid used to fill in wrinkles and add volume to tissue.

Andrea claimed Mr Scott told her he thought her cheeks were “uneven” and that he could help “harmonize” her face.

Andrea had fillers in her cheeks, chin and chin, but she said her face began to swell and dark spots appeared. From that point on, she said, the so-called “simple procedure” turned into a series of botched treatments.

Andrea claims Mr Scott told her the swelling was caused by an insect bite and encouraged her to get further treatment.

Mr Scott strongly denied the allegations, adding: “We have never performed any treatment on a client who showed any signs of swelling, bruising or any other side effects.”

He said the only complaint Andrea made initially was that she was “not too happy” with the treatment, which was why she had “so many” follow-up appointments.

Mr Scott also claimed that Andrea had attended other clinics for treatment during this period, one of which damaged her skin and that his clinic treated the damage. Andrea said she had only had one dermal filler treatment elsewhere three years before visiting Mr Scott, and she was happy with it.

Mr. Scott had been a tattoo artist for 33 years before opening Reshape U in 2019. He also runs a beauty training business, Yorkshire Beauty Training Academy.

Over a period of 10 months, Andrea had more than 30 appointments with Mr. Scott, including fillers, Botox and sutures. Mr Scott said he had only carried out the procedures for some of those appointments.

Andrea sold her jewelery and borrowed money to pay for treatment, which totaled thousands of pounds, but she said the reaction got worse.

She said that in October 2022, she went to the hospital and could barely open her eyes. In a letter from a plastic surgeon seen by the BBC, Andrea was told her reaction was caused by the surgery.

A cosmetic specialist who examined Andrea said her scars were most likely caused by an infection, which can occur with cosmetic surgery but is rare in a clean environment and good technique.

The BBC understands there have been at least three other complaints made against Mr Scott and the use of false qualifications.

Two of these were made to the registered practitioner service Save Face.

Director Ashton Collins said those reporting Mr Scott's “poor practice” chose him because they thought he was a doctor.

HCC health and safety officers visited Scott's home in 2024 after concerns were raised about his qualifications.

The commission said it identified a number of issues that needed improvement but took no formal action because the business accepted its requests.

Mr Scott told the BBC that the clinic had since listened to the advice and “comprehensively reviewed all of our procedures”.

He added: “While we may make mistakes initially, we always give 100% of our capabilities to our customers. We have learned valuable lessons and made progress through ongoing training and development.”

Warnings about the beauty industry have been around for years.

Review of cosmetics regulation in 2013 Concludes dermal fillers are 'a crisis waiting to happen' Because anyone can become a practitioner, “no knowledge, training, or previous experience is required.”

In 2022, the Health and Care Bill gave the Government powers to introduce licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. The regulation has not yet been enacted.

First death due to plastic surgery Recorded in the UK in 2024.

Dr Paul Charlson, a cosmetic doctor in East Yorkshire and a member of the Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), warned there would be “many more deaths” unless the government “continues” to enact legislation he helped bring about. and more disfigurement”. Developed with others across the industry.

“If the government says 'we want to do this within six months', it can be done,” he said.

The JCCP said it had dealt with a “significant number of complaints” from local councils about poor practice in the industry. In 2023 it received complaints from two local authorities, and by the end of 2024 there had been 65 complaints.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care did not comment on Dr Charlson's criticism, but said it was “unacceptable” that “well-trained operators in the cosmetics industry” were putting people's lives at risk and was being “urgently done” Explore options for further regulation.”

They urge anyone considering cosmetic surgery to find a reputable, insured and qualified doctor.

Andrea said she was left mentally and physically traumatized, with constant pain in her face, and said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I would never do it again and I would never advise anyone to do it,” she said.

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