Customers of a central Sydney beauty clinic have been urged to test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV after “highly concerning” infection-control practices, including the use of veterinary equipment, were discovered at the business.
The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) on Monday released a public health warning about the Ketthip Beauty Clinic on Sussex Street and imposed an interim prohibition order, preventing the clinic from providing health services of any kind for a period of eight weeks.
Customers who had infusions, injections, microdermabrasion or PDO thread lift procedures at Ketthip were advised to see their GP after a South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit inspection found some of its practices may have exposed people to blood-borne viruses including hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV.
The health order comes after the commission on Thursday executed a search warrant at Ketthip after a number of complaints made about the clinic and its staff.
During the search, evidence was found indicating that people working at the clinic were performing invasive cosmetic procedures, including the injection of botulinum toxin – the active ingredient in anti-wrinkle products such as Botox – and fillers without the qualifications and registration to do so.
“Non-registered persons at the clinic may be pretending to be registered medical practitioners and seeking to mislead clients of the clinic”, the commission warned in a statement, adding that customers attending Ketthip believed they are undergoing procedures performed by registered health practitioners when they were not.
The commission said it seized large quantities of surgical equipment including scalpels, sutures, cannulas and other medical devices – many of which were clearly marked as being for veterinary use only – from the clinic.
The commission said that it was concerned that breast augmentations – highly invasive surgery usually requiring hospital admission – had been performed at the clinic without the involvement of registered health practitioners.
Expired controlled medications imported from overseas were found at the clinic, as were prescription-only schedule 4 medicines, such as botulinum toxin, of “unknown quality, safety and efficacy”.
“The hygiene and infection-control practices of the clinic are highly concerning and pose an immediate risk to the health and safety of the public”, the commission said, warning that at least one person “may have had an adverse reaction to the procedures being performed” by Ketthip.
The commission has issued five serious public health warnings about the provision of cosmetic services in the past 10 months after a rise in complaints about non-registered practitioners.
Ketthip clinic did not respond to requests for comment.
The commission’s investigation is continuing.
• This article was amended on 4 March 2025. A previous version incorrectly said South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit had seized items from the clinic. That has been corrected to the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission.
