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Chinese Botox Won't Let You Look Young
The Economic Times of India ^ | October 28, 2007 | By Vishakha Talreja

Posted on 10/27/2007 7:23:21 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL

(NEW DELHI) -- Thirty-five-year old Rekha Chaudhary went to her nearby skin clinic where the friendly doctor agreed to give her a Botox shot, to get rid of the wrinkle on her eyes. The cost was only Rs 8,000 as compared to other clinics where the treatment could cost her anything between Rs 15,000-20,000. Great deal or that’s what she thought.

Soon after the treatment her eyelids started drooping. Also even after a week she did not see the wrinkles disappearing. To her horror, a visit to another dermatologist, revealed that there were cheap Chinese and Korean Botox alternatives, available in the market, which could have been used on her. And that it has side-effects.

According to Allergan, the company which manufactures Botox (brand name for Botulinum Toxin Type A), of the 25,000 non-surgical Botox procedures in India that have been done this year, around 5% have been conducted using sub-standard products claiming to be Botox.

"There are sub-standard Chinese and Korean products available in the market. These ‘me too’ biological generics do not produce desired results like Botox," claims Rajeev Nagi, sales and marketing director, Allergan.

A 100 unit Botox vial is priced at Rs 16,650. On the other hand the Chinese botox is available at a price 40% less than Allergen’s Botox. "While Botox has been approved by 6500 clinical trials all over the world, these sub-standard products on an average have 25-30 trials only," Nagi adds.

Recalls director of Eleganza Rejuvenation Clinic, Dr Vimal Malik, who provide botox treatment; "Some distributors approached us with Chinese products saying that a 100 unit vial will cost only Rs 3,000-5,000. We didnt get lured as there is no proven track record of these products."

However, that is all he would tell ET. None of the skin clinics which provide botox treatment that we spoke to wanted to talk about the me too brands available in the market.

However sources say, these counterfeits available in the market have different names as they cannot use the name Botox. They are therefore called ‘Botulinum Toxin type A’ or ‘Botulinum Cream’.

"The bottles of these products at times have a “Made in China” or a “Made in Korea” label. Some of them have Chinese inscriptions which doctors cant understand," says a cosmetic surgeon at a skin clinic, who does not want to be identified.

Agrees Kaya Skin Clinic, head of operations, Ram Iyer, “There is Chinese Botox available in the market. However we have tied up with Allergan and use only the authentic botox.” There are 38 Kaya skin Clinics across the country. The number of Botox procedures at Kaya Skin clinics has doubled in last one year, from two to five a day.

As the number of botox procedures increase, the ‘fake’ Botox will be used even more, says Nagi. Market for Botox procedures is registering a 50% growth in India. But with 25,000 non-surgical procedures in India, it is still way behin a country like Taiwan, which registered 2,50,000 such non-surgical botox procedures this year.

In the USA, there were 3 million Botox cosmetic procedures last year. Meanwhile, Chaudhary is still getting additional treatment for the allergy that she developed a couple of days after she got the ‘Botox’ injected. So before you decide on botox procedure for yourself, go ahead and bargain but check out the bottle that your skin specialist offers you.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china

1 posted on 10/27/2007 7:23:22 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
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To: Duchess47; jahp; LilAngel; metmom; EggsAckley; Battle Axe; SweetCaroline; Grizzled Bear; ...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
”Made in China” Ping.

(Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.)
2 posted on 10/27/2007 7:23:37 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
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To: JACKRUSSELL

Botox. Low level botulism.


3 posted on 10/27/2007 7:28:36 PM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
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To: JACKRUSSELL
This story reminds me of the couple - just a couple of years ago - man and wife in Florida; who decided to 'botox together' and ended up in semi-paralysis and in spinal clinic in Atlanta. . .Never heard about this case afterward initial headlines.

Anyone know how they are doing? (One was maybe Doctor or something?)

They were 'victims' of same cheap, Chinese or Korean botox. Nearly killed them; and wondered afterward, given their situation if they wished it had. . .

4 posted on 10/27/2007 7:30:40 PM PDT by cricket
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To: cricket

What a story:

S. Florida botulism victims begin therapy, seek to warn others
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pkaplans05feb05,0,6487282.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines


5 posted on 10/27/2007 7:41:11 PM PDT by donna (Obama is a Moslem.)
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To: donna
Why don't people just age naturally and accept their wrinkles ? What's wrong with looking your age? I think that I have earned every wrinkle I have---and that's a lot of "earnings"--LOL!

Maybe I'm just too chicken to fool with Mother Nature.

6 posted on 10/27/2007 8:26:55 PM PDT by basil (Support the Second Amendment--buy another gun today!)
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To: basil
Why don't people just age naturally and accept their wrinkles ? What's wrong with looking your age? I think that I have earned every wrinkle I have---and that's a lot of "earnings"--LOL!

Depends. On men, a few wrinkles and frown lines look distinguished. On women, they are seen as looking old and unsexy. If you're still trying to remain attractive to men in general, getting rid of some lines is an easy (though not cheap) way to help.

7 posted on 10/27/2007 8:43:12 PM PDT by Fairview ( Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.)
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To: JACKRUSSELL

This isn’t only a China issue. A huge number of counterfeit drugs are made in India also.


8 posted on 10/27/2007 8:48:09 PM PDT by killjoy (Life sucks, wear a helmet.)
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To: Fairview
If you're still trying to remain attractive to men in general, getting rid of some lines is an easy (though not cheap) way to help.

It wouldn't seem advisable to try to look attractive to men in general, unless you work the streets. However, looking attractive to a specific man might be a good thing.

9 posted on 10/27/2007 8:49:04 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture ™)
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To: donna

Thank you for the link about the couple paralyzed by fake botox in ‘05. I used it to search on the story and found a newer July 07 link:
http://dtasia.advanstar.com/dtasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=440603


10 posted on 10/27/2007 9:29:03 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: JACKRUSSELL

A lot off bad drugs are coming from china...

The Chinese Viagra will probably
put real lead in your pencil.


11 posted on 10/27/2007 9:31:19 PM PDT by fishhound
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To: ransomnote
"When the functions of my body came back," he quips, "so did the vanity."

Well, after all he went through, this is a disappointing comment, LOL.

12 posted on 10/27/2007 10:33:05 PM PDT by donna (Obama is a Moslem.)
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To: donna
"S. Florida botulism victims begin therapy, seek to warn others "

So this S. FL guy, a doctor (well, really a chiropracter) goes to his buddy who WAS a "sort of" medical person ( an ex-osteopath with a suspended license and pending criminal charges) and GETS IN TROUBLE??? Who woulda thunk it?

13 posted on 10/27/2007 10:36:40 PM PDT by matthew fuller (Crop-circles and UFO'S are caused by GLOBAL WARMING!)
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To: donna
Yes, indeed. This was the couple I was thinking of. . .and thanks for the 'story' with names. . .it appeared as well in the AJC; and is in fact, the last I read of this couple's ordeal and their hopes for progress and recovery.

Will 'google' them for more info. . .thanks again.

14 posted on 10/28/2007 7:51:21 AM PDT by cricket
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