The severe illness of a Thai model who suffers from "sleeping
beauty syndrome" after she had a collagen injection to smooth out her
hips, prompted public health authorities yesterday to order a crackdown on
illegal beauty clinics.
Public Health Minister Witthaya
Buranasiri said he has instructed the Health Service Support Department (HSSD)
to inspect and strictly control beauty and aesthetic clinics nationwide.
Clinic operators who are found to
be giving beauty injections without medical licenses will serve jail sentences,
he added.
The crackdown comes after the
Public Health Ministry learned of a 33-year-old female promotional model who
became severely ill after she received a collagen injection at a condominium in
Bangkok's Lat Phrao area from a man who claimed he was a doctor.
She developed a severe
complication five minutes after receiving an injection of collagen solution to
smooth out wrinkles in her hip. Her heart stopped beating and her brain was
damaged due to lack of oxygen. She is now undergoing medical treatment at a
private hospital for what's been diagnosed as "sleeping beauty
syndrome", or Kleine-Levin syndrome, a neurological disorder characterised
by excessive sleep.
"Legal experts and health
officials are now investigating the cause of the severe illness of a
promotional model," said Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, the HSSD's deputy
director general.
Injecting collagen or other
substances into your body in an effort to keep looking young might cause
adverse side effects and even death, Dr Tares added. Side effects include
inflamed skin, blood clots, low blood pressure, organ failure, shock, paralysis
and blindness.
Dr Atthaphan Pornmontarath, president
of the Thai Association and Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine, said most
cases in which complications have developed from collagen injections were
because the solution was made from animal protein or because too much was used.
Patients seeking aesthetic
treatments should ask the clinic's doctor to show his or her medical license.
They should also ask to see the label of the collagen solution, which must be
approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr Amnart Kusalanant, president
of the Medical Council of Thailand, said the council is checking the records of
the man who claimed that he was a physician and injected the model.
"If we find that he was a
fake doctor, he will face two years in jail as punishment," Dr Amnart
said. "It's a violation of the Medical Professional Act."
The Medical Council also called
on the public for help in identifying the man.
