More unregistered aesthetics treatment providers here probed

As the industry grows, so does the number of investigations by the Ministry of Health

- Joyce Lim

 

For 54-year-old housewife Mrs Lee, the allure of a Botox treatment to get rid of wrinkles and fine lines on her face for a mere $250 proved irresistible.

Such injectables typically cost more than double that amount at popular aesthetics clinics in Orchard Road. When Mrs Lee found that these aesthetics treatments were available at affordable rates at a beauty salon in Bedok, where she lives, she decided to take the plunge earlier in 2023.

In August, she returned to the salon for another round of treatments, only to find the beautician who had administered the procedure to her was no longer there.

"I was told that there was an inspection by the authorities at the premises. After that, I didn't see the beautician any more," Mrs Lee, who declined to give her full name, told The Sunday Times.

Incidents like this are far from isolated. From 2020 to 2022, the Ministry of Health (MOH) investigated about 60 cases involving the provision of medical aesthetics procedures by non-registered individuals. This is about twice the number of similar investigations conducted between 2017 and 2019.

These individuals were not registered with the Singapore Medical Council as medical practitioners, nor did they hold any certificate of competency, said a spokeswoman for the ministry.

Of the cases between 2020 and 2022, about two-thirds have been resolved, while prosecutions or investigations are still under way for the rest of the cases.

Of the concluded cases, 10 were prosecuted and convicted in court, while the rest were issued with letters of warning or advice, said the MOH spokeswoman.