A woman claims she was left “looking like a gargoyle” after a former tattoo artist posing as a doctor gave her botched facial fillers.
Andrea, 60, visited Reshape U cosmetics clinic in Hull in December 2021 for a “liquid breast lift”, where injectable fillers are used to increase breast size.
Two months later, she returned to the clinic, where she was encouraged to have facial fillers – hyaluronic acid used to fill in wrinkles and add volume to the skin.
Now, two years later, she covers her face when she leaves her house because she worries people will laugh at her.
“I see a gargoyle… something horrible, disgusting,” he told the BBC. “I live a nightmare every day.”
Before undergoing cosmetic procedures, she checked the clinic’s reputation online and was reassured to discover that it had won Best Aesthetic Clinic in Yorkshire 2022 at the England Business Awards.
The clinic was said to be run by Mr Sean Scott, who referred to himself as “Clinical Director Dr Sean Scott” in posts on Reshape U’s social media pages.
Videos posted by the same accounts in January and April 2023, a year after Andrea’s treatment, show a plaque on the clinic door that reads Dr. Sean Scott, hPhd, Clinical Director.
Andrea, 60 (pictured), visited Reshape U cosmetics clinic in Hull in December 2021 for breast fillers and was encouraged to have facial fillers two months later. Now, two years later, she covers her face when she leaves the house because she worries people will laugh at her.
Andrea said she “trusted” Mr. Scott because he “was the doctor.”
However, Scott denied presenting himself as a doctor and claimed he told customers who asked him that he was not medically qualified.
In 2024, he stopped using the medical title after being informed by Hull City Council (HCC) that it was “misleading”.
According to the General Medical Council, which regulates doctors, only healthcare professionals can prescribe medical substances such as dermal fillers.
However, it is not illegal for non-doctors to administer cosmetic injectables such as fillers and Botox, a loophole that activists have long been fighting to change.
Andrea claimed that Scott prescribed her two batches of antibiotics in December 2021 and January 2022, following her breast filler procedures.
But Scott told the BBC that he did not prescribe the antibiotics himself, but instead used a registered prescriber at a pharmacy to obtain the medication online.
Before her facial filler procedure, in February 2022, Andrea recalled that Mr. Scott told her that her cheeks were “uneven,” but that filler could fix it.
Sean Scott, who at the time was known as Dr. Sean Scott Clinical Director, was a tattoo artist for 33 years before opening Reshape U in 2019.
Andrea had filler in her cheeks, chin and jaw, but says her face began to swell and dark marks appeared.
She told the BBC that Scott encouraged her to get more treatments after telling her the swellings were caused by an insect bite.
Andrea underwent approximately 30 non-surgical procedures with Mr. Scott and other members of his team over the course of 10 months, including more fillers, Botox and threads.
Scott denied performing treatments while his client showed signs of swelling or bruising.
He added that Andrea only complained that she was “not very happy” with the results and asked for more follow-up appointments.
Andrea confessed that she sold jewelery and borrowed money to pay for the many treatments, which cost her thousands of pounds.
Scott, who was a tattoo artist for 33 years before opening Reshape U in 2019, said Andrea had visited other clinics for treatment during this period, including one that damaged her skin.
Over the course of 10 months, Andrea (pictured before finishing treatment) had more than 30 appointments with Mr Scott, including fillers, Botox and threads. She has been scared both mentally and physically: she suffers facial pain (pictured right with scars after treatment) and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
In October 2022, Andrea went to the hospital because she could barely open her eyes.
Letters from the plastic surgeons revealed that their reactions were caused by the procedures. A cosmetics expert who examined Andrea also explained that the reactions were caused by an infection.
These infections can occur from cosmetic procedures, but are rare in a clean environment and with good techniques.
Andrea said she has been scarred both mentally and physically: she suffers from facial pain and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Save Face, a government-approved registry of accredited professionals, received two more complaints about Mr Scott and his use of a false qualification.
Director Ashton Collins said the customers who reported him chose him because they were under the impression he was a doctor.
Scott, who also runs an aesthetics training company, the Yorkshire Aesthetics Training Academy, was visited by health and safety officials from Hull City Council in 2024 after concerns were raised about his credentials.
Although they said several issues were found that required improvements, no formal action was taken because the company was receptive to their requests.
Scott told the BBC that the clinic has learned its lesson.
‘Even though we made mistakes at the beginning, we have always given 100 percent of our capacity to our customers. We have learned valuable lessons and have already made progress with continued training and development,’ he said.
But warnings have been made about the aesthetics industry for years.
In 2022, the Health and Care Act gave the Government powers to introduce licensing for professionals carrying out non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England.
However, this has not yet been enacted.
Currently, anyone can legally administer Botox and dermal fillers in the UK, including non-medical professionals such as beauticians.
However, because Botox is a prescription-only medication, it must still be prescribed by a medical professional, such as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, or nurse prescriber.
Campaigners want to see a licensing regime for companies and individuals providing these treatments to help keep Britons safe.
It is estimated that around 900,000 Botox injections are performed in the UK each year, most without patients complaining.
But Save Face received almost 3,000 complaints in 2022 alone, of which more than two-thirds were related to dermal fillers and almost a quarter to Botox.