A beautician who was not a licensed medical professional was given a three-week jail term on Thursday ( January 2 ) was given the option of having a double eyelid procedure on a patient.
The patient’s left eyebrow drooped, and the botched cosmetic procedure ended up worsening her situation.
Liu Chengjun, 56, pleaded guilty to one command under the Medical Registration Act, with another similar demand considered in punishment.
She was also ordered to pay compensation of S$ 126.95 ( US$ 93 ), or serve one more day in prison.
Studies revealed that she had been offering beauty treatments at her house, including brow treatments. The handle is redacted in court records.
The individual, a 25-year-old lady, wanted to make her present twice eyes more defined. She heard about Liu’s service from a friend.
In September 2021, the patient’s family enquired with Liu about a triple eye treatment for her daughter.
Over WeChat, Liu said that she could put a string into the victim’s eyelids to achieve the desired impact.
The mother inquired if Liu had copies of the procedures performed on different people, and Liu sent her nine pieces of “before and after” images.
When Liu asserted that this was the case when asked if she had performed the procedure on these people.
The individual and her family visited Liu’s house on Jul 10, 2022 to find out more about the process.
Liu explained that the procedure involved applying anaesthetic to the eyelids, then applying a needle to each eyelid to make the double eyes more visible.
She even told them she was experienced at performing the procedure, and that it was “harmless”. She added that her daughter, whom the individual and her mother likewise met, had the procedure done earlier.
On July 19, 2022, they made an arrangement to carry out the procedure. Around 3o’clock that time, the individual and her family arrived at Liu’s home.
With her closed eyes, the person sat down on a bed. Liu ethanoled each eye and drew a column along it.
She used a thread and a needle to sew along the lines she had previously drawn using a solution containing drug and adrenaline to cold both eyes.
The entire process took about 30 minutes, and the client paid Liu S$ 800 following the procedure.
The victim’s eyelids were swollen after the treatment. She was unable to open her eyes completely until a while after they started to swell, and they continued to swell for a while.
Liu instructed the person to use a cream for hemorrhoids that she purchased on Taobao. However, for about a year, the swelling stopped, and the eyelid design changed.
The person requested that Liu replace the strands because she was unhappy with the results. Liu agreed, but asked the person to let the swelling fade second.
On Aug 17, 2022, the client went to Liu’s home to reduce the fibers. Liu once injected , drug and adrenaline into both eyes to cold them.
After using a needle to remove the string at each eyelid, she finally inserted a needle to penetrate the hospital’s skin and create an opening.
Liu even refunded S$ 800 to the client.
However, the victim’s eyes continued to swell and, about two weeks after the threads were removed, her eyelids were still inconsistent.
She consulted doctors, including a family doctor and two plastic surgeries. One doctor, Dr Leo Kah Woon, advised her that her drooping eye had cost S$ 4, 000 to S$ 5, 000 to fix.
The patient’s left eyebrow increased considerably above her right eyebrow, according to Dr. Leo, and this was most likely the result of Liu’s two procedures.
The doctor stated in a document that it was very doubtful that the patient’s condition would have deteriorated so severely in just a few weeks if it had been left alone.
Dr. Woffles Wu, a plastic surgeon, added that he believed only a qualified medical professional with the necessary professional training should perform the procedure Liu performed.
Risks from the treatment, which may include infections, drooping of the eye and trauma to the eyeball, may be serious and require medical correction, Dr Wu’s report stated.
The , Ministry of Health ( MOH) received information on Oct 29, 2022 about the procedure that Liu had performed on the patient.
Officials inspected Liu’s residence on Nov 16, 2022 and found needles, knives and jugs of Botulinum toxin , – or Botox , – as well as a bottle of the , lidocaine and epinephrine solution.
Liu was previously fined in 2012 for operating a massage company without a license, according to MOH attorney Jason Nim.
He argued that the process had altered the patient’s physical features, which had affected her physically and that Liu would receive four to six weeks in prison.
Mr. Nim also referred to the actions Liu took to encourage her services to the individual and her mother via Twitter and during a visit to her home.
Ashvin Hariharan, the attorney for Ashvin Law Corporation, requested a maximum sentence of two weeks in jail.
He acknowledged that the procedure had caused the patient’s drooping eye, but argued that this was less dangerous than if Liu had caused a problem the person didn’t currently own.
He claimed that this was a “purely plastic problem,” noting that there was no evidence of any restriction of the patient’s physical field. The individual followed through with an attention and visual area examination, but they chose not.
Additionally, Mr. Hariharan claimed Liu did not know that the treatments she was carrying out required a skilled license and that she did not act as a health professional.
Up to a time in prison, a fine of up to S$ 100, 000, or both for practicing medicine without being registered and with a true training certificate is possible.
The utmost sentence is doubled for repeat offenders.