Australia is home to a seedy underworld of illegal plastic surgery, performed by unqualified ‘cosmetic surgeons’ who perform the procedures in flats and hotel rooms.
Described as the ‘dark web’ of cosmetic surgery, the ‘doctors’ work in a lawless arena preserved almost exclusively for unwitting women trying to save a few thousand dollars.
It is the same deathly brand of cosmetic enhancement which killed Sydney woman Jean Huang, 35, after she died of a heart attack following a botched boob job.
Described as the ‘dark web’ of cosmetic surgery, the ‘doctors’ work in a lawless arena preserved almost exclusively for unwitting Asians trying to save a few thousand dollars (Stock image)
It is the same deathly brand of cosmetic enhancement which killed Sydney woman Jean Huang, 35, after she died of a heart attack following a botched boob job (Clinic pictured)
Merrilyn Walton, former NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner, warns the world of dodgy cosmetic procedures is one that is flourishing.
‘It’s like it’s a subculture of illegal activity around Botox and invasive procedures,’ Ms Walton told SBS Viceland.
The illegal activities is like the dark web… it’s impenetrable. People are being harmed, there are people who have died.’
After Ms Huang’s death, NSW Police conducted raids on 10 dodgy ‘clinics’ across Sydney, seizing illegal botox and other drugs.
However no charges were laid and the clinics are still operating to this day, injecting customers with potentially lethal cocktails of drugs.
The Chinese tourist allegedly responsible for the botched procedure, Jie Shao, 33, is behind bars and facing 20 years’ jail after being charged with manslaughter.
Shao, who has no licence to practice medicine in Australia, met Ms Huang through a mutual friend.
The ‘doctors’ are part of a backyard beauty industry which sees mostly Asian nationals perform procedures in their own homes.
Some clinics – like Shao – put on a professional front and appear to be licensed surgeries from the outside.
The ‘doctors’ are part of a backyard beauty industry which sees mostly Asian nationals perform procedures in their own homes (Stock image)
After Ms Huang’s (pictured) death, NSW Police conducted raids on 10 dodgy ‘clinics’ across Sydney, seizing illegal botox and other drugs
Shao, (pictured) who has no licence to practise medicine in Australia, met Ms Huang through a mutual friend
They advertise online mostly in languages other than English and order in cheap knock-off injectables from China.
Procedures are promoted on Chinese messaging app WeChat and fellow Chinese nationals provide glowing testimonials, reeling other potential clients in.
The illegal beauty industry is also thriving in Melbourne, where over 10 of these makeshift clinics were found online.
SBS Viceland contracted a Chinese journalist to visit two of the clinics, where she filmed sordid conditions including bloodied tissues and used needles visible in a bin and cats and dogs roaming around freely.
The owners openly admitted they had no real qualifications in Botox or cosmetic surgery and one said they purchased the products from Korea.
One woman told the journalist the items can only be brought into Australia by person and are confiscated if they are sent via post.
‘You’re not allowed to import it, so we can only get it through illegal channels,’ she said.
Procedures are then advertised on Chinese messaging app WeChat and fellow Chinese nationals provide glowing testimonials, reeling other potential clients in (Huang pictured)
The owners openly admitted they had no real qualifications in Botox or cosmetic surgery and one said they purchased the products from Korea (Huang pictured)
The illegal beauty industry is also thriving in Melbourne, where over 10 of these makeshift clinics were found online (Stock image)
The dodgy practitioners prey on vulnerable Asian women looking for double eyelid lifts and breast augmentation.
When it goes wrong, the women are then forced to spend thousands of dollars on corrective surgery.
One anonymous woman who attended a Melbourne clinic complained her eyelid surgery was ‘so painful I will never forget the feeling for the rest of my life’.
In September last year, the NSW government issued a public warning against seeking cosmetic procedures from unlicensed clinics.
‘The Commission has serious concerns that persons are carrying out medical-related procedures to ‘improve’ aesthetic appearance whilst not appropriately registered as a medical practitioners,’ it said in a statement.
There are now extra protections in place for patients having procedures such as significant liposuction, fat transfer, facial implants that are on the bone or involve deep tissue surgery, breast augmentation or reduction, and ‘tummy tucks’.