B.C.’s College of Physicians and Surgeons is going public after a lengthy investigation leading to allegations a Vancouver woman was illegally injecting clients with Botox.
Maria Ezzati is the Vancouver woman at the centre of this investigation.
Ezzati, who was photographed in a February sting operation, has been under close watch since April 2017.
That’s when someone first complained to the province’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, saying she was performing Botox injections and dermal fillers.
Ezzati is not a registered or licensed health professional.
Between July 2017 and August 2019, the college was granted orders to investigate and seize materials from Ezzati.
Then, last month, the college was tipped off—yet again—that Ezzati was still performing services illegally.
Based on social media posts, investigators believe she was hosting “Botox and Filler Parties” at a private residence.
“Essentially, undercover clients actually attended at the Botox party, or one of the Botox parties and had with them a surreptitious video recording device, so they have video evidence of what happened at this particular Botox party,” said the college’s lawyer Brent Olthuis.
“That was presented to court and that resulted in the most recent order for search and seizure.”
The college says this is not the first time it has heard of these so-called “Botox parties,” but that doctors are no less concerned.
The case is still before the courts, but the college is going public now hoping to deter people from pursuing treatments such as this outside of a licensed clinic.
The college seized items from Ezzati’s Vancouver home on Feb. 20. It will be back in court later this month to report on what they found.
- ‘Bacterial vampirism’: Deadly pathogens attracted to human blood, study finds
- Shoppers faces proposed class action over claims company is ‘abusive’ to pharmacists
- Most Canadian youth visit dentists, but lack of insurance a barrier
- Landmark smoking ban that would phase out sales passes U.K. parliament
Comments