SHUT down rogue butt-lift clinics and only let qualified doctors do them, top surgeons have warned.

The Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners issued the plea on Thursday after a 33-year-old Brit mum died in September following a botched BBL.

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Brazilian butt-lifts, also known as buttock augmentation procedures, involve injecting fat or filler into the bum to shape it.

But wrongly injecting too deep into the buttock can pump chemicals into the bloodstream and cause deadly clots, infections or sepsis.

They can also go wrong if the anaesthetic is bungled or people have allergies.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after mum-of-five Alice Webb, from Gloucestershire, died in September following complications of the procedure.

She became the first person to die this way in Britain, although others have suffered fatal ordeals after surgery abroad.

UK regulation is lax as they can be considered “non-surgical” and untrained beauticians can get the kit to do them.

A lack of regulation for unlicensed medical practitioners puts people’s health at serious risk, particularly with buttock fillers

Elaine SassoonThe British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons

The JCCP said BBLs must be classified as surgical procedures and strictly controlled so that only qualified, registered and experienced plastic surgeons can do them.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, which only recently ended a four-year plea for members not to do the procedure at all, co-signed the report.

The Sun has called on ministers to tighten regulation of fillers and cosmetic procedures in our Had Our Fill campaign.

Elaine Sassoon, a member of the BAAPS council, said: “The cosmetic sector faces a lack of regulation for unlicensed medical practitioners.

“This puts people’s health at serious risk, particularly with buttock fillers for BBL. 

“While specialist surgeons follow safety guidelines, untrained individuals can inject unsafe, bulk-purchased products in unregulated settings.”

The report said the same rules should be applied to any procedures on the genitals or breasts.

It said: “These procedures should only be performed by appropriately trained specialist plastic surgeons and fully qualified General Medical Council registered medical doctors who possess additional qualifications and have proven competence.”

Tragic mum told she didn’t need work done

Alice Webb, herself an aesthetic practitioner, had travelled to a training session where she would learn how to perform the procedure before having her own done.

But cops rushed to a house at around 11.30pm that night after the alarm was raised, with ambulances already at the scene.

Alice was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary but died in the early hours of Tuesday, September 24.

The tragedy happened after her cousin, Dianna Webb, told her she did not need the procedure.

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A tearful Dianna, who calls herself Alice’s “second mum” as she helped raise her, told The Sun: “We had talked about it a lot before she went to have the procedure.

“She had told me she was going to have this done and I said she didn’t need it – she already looked beautiful.

“And she was stunning on her own.

“We were on the phone for two hours before she went. Alice said they seemed really professional and put her at ease about the procedure.

“She was not one of these people that would go and just have something done without looking at every little detail first, obviously because she worked in the industry too.

“Alice put her heart into her work.

“She took every course she could take, including this one, because she wanted to make sure she got everything right.”

Dianna said her family would demand the government ban liquid BBL injections to make sure Alice’s death was “the first and the last” on British shores.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies are with Alice’s family and friends in this tragic case, which is incredibly concerning.

“The safety of patients is paramount, and we would urge anyone considering a cosmetic procedure to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured, and qualified practitioner.

“Work is ongoing to explore options around oversight of the non-surgical cosmetics sector and we will provide an update at the earliest opportunity.”

A MUM-of-two says she lives in fear of dropping dead at the dinner table due to a condition known as “vampire disease”.

The rare disorder, known as acute intermittent porphyria, means Phoenix Nightingale has to avoid garlic at all costs.

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The 32-year-old could have a potentially “fatal attack” if she eats too much of the allium, which contains sulphur.

During an attack, she can suffer severe pain, migraines and constipation for three days at a time.

Eating garlic could also leave her vomiting up to 30 times a day, Phoenix said.

Her immune system crashes during an attack, causing her body to go into shock, meaning she could stop breathing.

As a result, eating sulphur-rich garlic could be fatal.

Porphyrias are a group of uncommon disorders caused by problems with the production of chemicals called porphyrins in the body, according to the NHS.

Porphyrins are the chemical building blocks of haem, which form haemoglobin, the component of red blood cells that allows oxygen to be carried around the body.

There are eight different types of porphyria disorders, which affect the skin and nervous system.

If the disorder is ‘acute’ – as in Phoenix’s case – the onset of symptoms can be rapid.

They can include stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, changes in blood pressure or increased heart rate, muscle weakness, paralysis, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations and seizures.

It’s believed that vampire myths – such as that of Count Dracula – sprung out of porphyria.

According to Michael Hefferon, assistant professor at the Department of Paediatrics at Queen’s University, some patients with porphyria suffer with sensitivity to light, receding gums that make teeth look like fangs, dark red urine – which led people of yore to think they were drinking blood – and aversion to garlic due to attacks.

“People call it the vampire disease,” Phoenix, of Robbinsdale, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, said.

“Count Dracula had it. It comes from the legend about them needing to avoid garlic, having to stay out of the sun, looking pale and having receding teeth.

“Neurological side effects can make people think that those with the condition must have been monsters or are possessed.”

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The mum was first diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria in August 2023.

“There’s too much sulphur in garlic and I have a sulphur allergy,” she said.

“I avoid sulphurs in general. Eating garlic in high amounts or over an extended period could be fatal.

“I haven’t eaten garlic since I was diagnosed. I could never eat garlic bread. It could send me into an attack.

“Attacks happen when the body reaches a toxic load large enough to make it crash.

“It’s life-threatening for me. When I have an attack, my body wants to exit everything.

“I’ll puke 60 times over two days. I can stop breathing and it can cause paralysis.

“I’ve almost died. Different foods and things I ingest can make me have an attack.

“Sometimes there can be a buildup, so if I have small amounts of a certain food over a few days.

“Symptoms can start one to two weeks before an attack or it can come out of nowhere.”

The mum-of-two says she’s suffered with symptoms since she was a baby but struggled to get a diagnosis as the condition is so rare.

She has had more than 480 attacks in her life and says that they’re “more painful than childbirth”.

Phoenix said: “I had one attack where I didn’t go to hospital and it went on for 40 hours. It was non-stop vomiting, losing consciousness, screaming and crying.

“It was horrific pain that prescription pain medication hardly touches.

“I’ve pushed out two children and it’s worse than childbirth. It’s agony.”

DINNER DRAMA

Phoenix says going out for dinner is upsetting as she worries about what ingredients will be in her meal.

She said: “When I go out for dinner, unless it’s a place I know, I look at a menu and I cry because I don’t know what I can eat and prefer to stick with my safe foods.

“I can’t eat red grapes, coffee or soy and I can’t have any alcohol at all.”

She is sharing her story to help raise awareness of the condition, as it took Phoenix 31 years to get a diagnosis.

Phoenix said: “It’s hard as a diagnosed person not being able to find a doctor who can help. When I see a doctor or go to hospital, they have to google the condition.

“It took 31 years to get diagnosed and I had to pay out of pocket and spend years running analytics on it.

“I had to take it into my own hands.

“I’m very careful about what I put in my body. I avoid a lot of food. I stick to the food that I know is safe. I can’t even take most medications.

“It’s been a huge struggle for me.

“I have been through so much with my health so I’m very passionate about getting my health stable enough that I can someday help make changes in the medical system for mystery diagnoses and chronically ill patients.

“There has to be more people out there suffering with it and being called crazy.”

A TEENAGER who died after taking too many painkillers had been prescribed the pills despite two recent overdoses on the same medication, an inquest has heard.

Ellie Knight, 19, was given a month’s supply of the anti-inflammatory drug to manage back pain by a GP who later conceded with hindsight that he “should have given her less”.

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The animal lover overdosed on the pills a fortnight after receiving her prescription and suffered a cardiac arrest – when the heart stops beating – and severe brain damage.

She was rushed to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent, but tragically died three weeks later on January 9.

Her family have now questioned why she was given such a large supply of the pills within two months of three previous overdoses – two of them involving the same drug.

An inquest into her death was told that Ellie had gone to Newington Road practice in Ramsgate on December 4 last year complaining of back pain.

GP Dr Geoffrey Kimanje believed seizures suffered in a separate overdose just a week earlier had led to inflammation in her joints, and there were suspicions she had hypermobility issues.

The hearing was told Ellie’s mother, Sarah Knight, was said to have been “angry about the doctor prescribing” a month’s worth of the medication as she had reportedly requested her daughter not be given the drug.

However, Dr Kimanje told the coroner he had been left with a difficult decision and had spoken to Mrs Knight – who did not attend the inquest – before issuing the prescription.

The GP said he did not recall any opposition, adding that he even made an agreement with Ellie and Mrs Knight that the teenager’s medication would be administered by her mother.

He told the hearing: “I thought this drug was the best option for anti-inflammatory [issues].

“I thought I’d get her something more restrictive in terms of it needing a prescription.

“I think it’s easy to say she should have had less tablets, but I didn’t want to be obstructive in her care.

“I took confidence in [the family]; in hindsight, I should have given her less.”

Despite the reported agreement, it was not made clear how or why Ellie had come to administer the drugs herself, though there was no suggestion her family were at fault.

When asked if there was anything he felt he should or could have done differently given the circumstances at the time, the GP said: “I don’t think so.”

The inquest heard Ellie had admitted to having thoughts of suicide since the age of 11 and had been under the care of mental health services.

Her family expressed concern that a reported promise of home visits they thought would be daily did not materialise, with Ellie visited just once by mental health teams.

But Kirsty Wade, an operational manager at the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), said no such offer should have been made and would not even have been possible in Ellie’s case, due to her often spiralling at night when home visits do not take place.

It was explained that Ellie did not engage particularly well with other mental health teams and the view at the time was that daily visits could have actually increased the risk of Ellie acting on the commands of “derogatory voices” in her head.

It was a cry for help, but we can’t change anything now

Sarah KnightMum

Mrs Wade said: “It was quite a complex picture.

“She’d been staying up late at night and had a poor structure but there was evidence of futuristic thinking and planning.

“She was also reluctant to utilise service contact numbers for support, as she didn’t like burdening other people with her problems.

“The risks were low enough that we could have managed them in the community, but she still potentially could have needed some extra support.

“She didn’t seem to have any coping strategies for when she was stressed.”

As well as the expected home visits falling through, it was explained that a psychiatric appointment had to be cancelled due to Ellie being in hospital following one of her overdoses. She died before it could be rearranged.

Coroner Catherine Wood said Ellie had sought help following her three previous overdoses.

She said at the time of the fourth, on December 18, it was not clear what Ellie’s intentions were.

‘NO EVIDENCE SHE WANTED TO DIE’

Delivering a narrative conclusion at the hearing in Maidstone on Friday, she expressed her condolences to Ellie’s family and explained why she could not rule her death a suicide.

“She was referred for a programme of psychological treatment which she sadly didn’t receive because of her death,” said Mrs Wood.

“I cannot say whether her being on that pathway would have changed the eventual outcome.

“We don’t have any evidence to suggest she wanted to die. I don’t have evidence she didn’t intend to die.

“We don’t know the facts – we weren’t there.

“[Dr Kimanje] gave the reasons for his prescription. I accept his evidence on this point. He also rang Ellie’s mother at the time of the consultation.

“Whilst I accept the evidence that we did hear, it may have been better to have a plan in relation to medication in the risk assessment process as part of a risk assessment at the mental health services.

“As coroners we see too many deaths of young people who die as a consequence of their own actions.

“It’s something that in this world we do see more than any of us would like to, but it’s very difficult for staff in a mental health setting to assess the risks here as to what can be done.

“I’d note that there is work to be done in terms of risk assessment and work has been undertaken and there have been reorganisations of services.”

She had such a big heart, and was loved by so many people – more than she knew

Sarah Knight

Mrs Wood added she would not be making a Prevention of Future Deaths Report, with mental health teams already undergoing changes in staff training and guidelines in response to recent events.

Ellie’s parents believe she did not intend to take her own life and previously said they wished she had accepted just how loved she was by everyone.

They said: “We don’t think she did it to end her life, or to get to the point it got to. It was a cry for help, but we can’t change anything.

“She had such a big heart, and was loved by so many people – more than she knew. We told her lots but she just didn’t accept it.

“Ellie did suffer from depression, she did have worries, and it played a big part in what happened.”

Born on June 14, 2004, Ellie was the middle child of three siblings, with 22-year-old Liam and five-year-old Robin completing the household.

The former Broadstairs and Canterbury College pupil aspired to work in animal or childcare, having a fondness for both, and studied health and social care.

A keen music lover with a wide range of tastes, she was also an avid watcher of TV, with Friends and Victorious among her favourite shows.

As an adult, Ellie developed an interest in motorbikes and had planned to buy one to do up with her dad, Michael.

Brits only feel at their very best for 13 days a month, according to research.

A poll of 2,000 adults revealed they feel in good health for less than half the time (42 per cent)  – the equivalent of only 152 days a year.

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The rest of the time is spent with various ailments including colds, poor sleep, stress and digestive issues.

During the winter months, 31 per cent constantly feel run down with sniffles, coughs and sore throats.

And 40 per cent feel the effects of hayfever starting as early as April. 

It also emerged 31 per cent were unaware of the link between good gut health and their immune system.

Gut microbiologist Dr Kate Steed from Optibac Probiotics, the friendly bacteria brand which commissioned the study, said: “It is extremely hard to feel 100 per cent at all times with so many bugs going round.

“Colds, cough and contagious bugs can hit at any time but are rife during the winter months, and then in the spring and summer hayfever comes along.

“Then there’s a whole range of digestive ailments that aren’t seasonal, like upset stomachs, bloating or trapped wind that can crop up regularly and often when you would least like them to.”

With so many health complaints, it’s no surprise 72 per cent are interested in boosting their immune system, so they can live life to the fullest (60 per cent), to be in good health for the family (44 per cent) and because they have simply had enough of catching coughs and colds (26 per cent).

The research found 69 per cent struggle with gastric issues, such as constipation (22 per cent), acid reflux (22 per cent) and stomach ache (22 per cent).

And 39 per cent of those deal with these symptoms as often as once a week.

But 76 per cent claim people who don’t have digestive issues don’t know how debilitating they can be, according to the OnePoll stats.

Dr Kate Steed added: “Digestive issues can really reduce quality of life, impacting social activities, relationships and even productivity at work.

“Having one less thing to worry about can be life changing.

“Studies indicate that maintaining a healthy gut plays a key role in overall wellness.

“Probiotics, known to benefit gut health, can be particularly effective when they contain carefully researched strains of beneficial bacteria.

“Those looking to try them should opt for strains backed by scientific evidence.”