6000 €/jour grâce aux injections de botox illégales | #Investigation

A wrinkle-free forehead, plump lips… Botox and hyaluronic acid injections are constantly increasing in popularity here. These injections should be performed by doctors trained in aesthetics. But in reality, many people, such as beauticians or nurses, perform them illegally. The business is lucrative, and the money is very easy to make. However, the consequences for patients can be serious if the procedure goes wrong. A few months ago, to look younger, Sandrine—not her real name—had hyaluronic acid injected into her lips by a beautician who offered rock-bottom prices. “Everyone was doing it, so since I was 44, I thought, ‘I’ll give it a try.’ I found the beauty salon on Google; it was on Avenue Louise in Brussels. It was clean, but there wasn’t a doctor there; the beautician did it. At first, I thought she was a doctor. Then, when she was finished, she said, ‘No, I’m not a doctor.’” When she got home, Sandrine realized something was wrong. “That evening, it started to swell. I thought, ‘Maybe it’s normal,’ but the next day when I woke up, I saw I had bruises everywhere, a lump. It was swollen, swollen, swollen—it was ugly! It hurt terribly, and I had some really difficult complications.” Sandrine consulted her general practitioner, who prescribed medication. The hematomas took more than a month to disappear. "The doctor told me what she was doing was dangerous; she hit a nerve. Luckily, she didn't really penetrate it. But the doctor saved me. I was afraid it would stay like that, that my lips would stay crooked. Now it's fine." Sandrine paid 130 euros for this injection. A price that may seem high, but which is actually two or three times less than what doctors charge. The beautician who performed this injection illegally is still practicing today. In Belgium, to perform injections, one must be a doctor and have completed training in aesthetic medicine. We met Dr. Jean Hebrant in his office. He has been the president of the Belgian Society of Aesthetic Medicine for over 30 years. He has seen his profession evolve and fights to ensure the law is respected. He sees cases like Sandrine's almost every day. "It's a public health issue, it's terrible. The face is the first thing we look at! They're going to inject and cause damage. It ranges from necrosis to facial deformity. Necrosis is catastrophic; you lose half your nose, part of your cheek. For a doctor to see the suffering caused by a cosmetic procedure is truly terrible." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔎 Want to learn more? ▶ The illegal Botox injection business: "I was earning up to €6,000 a day" https://www.rtbf.be/article/le-busine... ▶ Botox injections: young people have traded mirrors for the mirage of smartphones https://www.rtbf.be/article/lnjection... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 📌 Also find #Investigation on: The RTBF Info website ► https://www.rtbf.be/info/dossier/inve... Auvio ► https://www.rtbf.be/auvio/emissions/d... Facebook ►   / investigationrtbf   How does RTBF moderate its various platforms? Find out here: https://bit.ly/moderationrtbfytrtbf ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © RTBF 2026 #investigation #inquiry #rtbf #botox #cosmeticsurgery