A central Sydney beauty clinic has been slapped with a health warning for its “highly concerning” infection-control practices, with clients urged to get tested for potential exposures to blood-borne viruses.
In a public warning issued on Monday, the Health Care Complaints Commission has cautioned clients they may have been exposed to viruses including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV following procedures at Ketthip Clinic in Sydney CBD.
The news follows a search of the Sussex Street clinic which found alarming practices that pose an risk to public health and safety.
This includes medical equipment like scalpels, sutures, cannulas, and other medical devices marked “for veterinary use only” — that have since been seized — as well as prescription and controlled medications that were expired or imported from overseas.
“Members of the public are being injected with these medications and/or undergoing surgical procedures and being placed at significant risk of harm,” the commission stated.
It continued that clients attending the clinic believed that they were undergoing procedures performed by registered health practitioners. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“Non-registered persons at the clinic are performing invasive cosmetic procedures including the injection of botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid, dermal fillers and other procedures,” it said.
“The commission is concerned that non-registered persons … may be performing invasive surgical procedures such as breast augmentation absent any registered health practitioners involvement.”
If you’ve had anything invasive done at the clinic — whether it’s injections, microdermabrasion, or a PDO thread lift — it’s a good idea to get checked for blood-borne viruses, stat. At least one person might have suffered an adverse reaction to the treatment, according to the commission.
An interim prohibition order has also been placed to prevent the clinic from providing health services of any kind for two months and investigations remain underway.
Vicky Sheppeard, director of the health district’s public health unit, described this as a “worrying situation” that posed risks to clients.
“It’s very concerning to find unregistered practitioners purporting to be doctors and also using these unregistered medications, that’s a great risk to clients and potentially severe complications can arise,” she told ABC News.
Dr Sheppeard also advised people to do their research before using cosmetic clinics.
Always do your research!! (Image source: Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency)
“Any cosmetic clinic where anybody is going to be injecting or infusing anything into your body, you should ensure that the practitioner is a registered health practitioner, either a doctor or a nurse,” she told the publication.
A useful tool is the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA), which can help people check if a practitioner or clinic is registered in the country and legit.
“If they’re not registered in Australia, it is risky to have any kind of procedure with them,” she said.
The Health Care Complaints Commission’s latest notice follows a string of public health warnings in the last year regarding cosmetic procedures. Earlier this year, it issued a warning regarding a non-registered cosmetic injector in January, stating it is investigating allegations she has been illegally administering botulinum toxin (Botox) and other injectable substances without medical supervision.
Lead image: iStock
The post Clients Of Sydney Cosmetic Clinic Urged To Get Tested After Possible Exposure To HIV appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
