A woman claims she has been 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 bust size.
Two months later she returned to the clinic where she was encouraged to get facial fillers — hyaluronic acid used to fill wrinkles and add volume to the skin.
Now, two years later, she covers her face when she leaves her house because she is worried people will laugh at her.
‘I see a gargoyle… something horrible, disgusting,’ she told the BBC. ‘I live a nightmare every single day.’
Prior to undergoing the cosmetic procedures she checked the clinic’s reputation online, and was reassured to find it had won Best Aesthetics Clinic in Yorkshire in 2022 at the England Business Awards.
The clinic was said to be run by a Mr Sean Scott, who referred to himself as ‘Dr Sean Scott Clinical Director’ 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 his door in the clinic saying Dr Sean Scott, hPhd, Clinical Director.
Andrea, 60, (pictured) visited Reshape U cosmetics clinic in Hull in December 2021 for breast fillers and two months later she was encouraged to get facial fillers. Now, two years later, she covers her face when she leaves her house because she is worried people will laugh at her
Andrea said that she ‘trusted’ Mr Scott because he ‘was the doctor’.
However, Mr Scott has denied portraying himself as a medical doctor and claimed he told clients who asked that he was not medically qualified.
In 2024, he stopped using the medical title after Hull City Council (HCC) advised him it was ‘misleading’.
According to The General Medical Council, which regulates doctors, only healthcare professionals can prescribe medical substances like dermal filler.
However, it is not illegal for non-medics to administer cosmetic injectables such as fillers and Botox — a loophole that campaigners have long been fighting to change.
Andrea claimed that Mr Scott prescribed her two lots of antibiotics in December 2021 and January 2022, following her breast filler procedures.
But Mr Scott told the BBC that he did not prescribe the antibiotics himself, instead he used a registered prescriber at a pharmacy to obtain the medicine online.
Prior to her facial filler procedure, in February 2022, Andrea recalled being told by Mr Scott that her cheeks were ‘uneven’, but filler could fix that.
Sean Scott, who at the time was referred to as Dr Sean Scott Clinical Director, was a tattooist for 33 years before opening Reshape U in 2019
Andrea had filler in her cheeks, chin and jaw but says her face started swelling and dark marks appeared.
She told the BBC Mr Scott encouraged her to get more treatments after telling her the swellings were caused by an insect bite.
Andrea went on to have roughly 30 non-surgical procedures with Mr Scott and other members of his team over the course of 10 months, including further fillers, Botox and threads.
Mr Scott denied performing treatments while his client showed signs of swelling or bruising.
He added that Andrea only complained that she ‘wasn’t quite happy’ with the results and made more follow-up appointments.
Andrea confessed she sold jewellery and borrowed money to pay for the extensive number of treatments, which cost her thousands of pounds.
Mr Scott, who was a tattooist 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 treatment left) had more than 30 appointments with Mr Scott, including for fillers, Botox and threads. She has been scared both mentally and physically — she suffers pain in her face (pictured right with scars following treatment) and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
In October 2022, Andrea went to hospital because she was barely able to open her eyes.
Letters from plastic surgeons revealed her reactions were caused by the procedures. An expert in cosmetics who has examined Andrea also explained the reactions were caused by an infection.
These infections can occur from cosmetic procedures but is rare in a clean environment with good techniques.
Andrea said she has been scarred both mentally and physically — she suffers pain in her face and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Save Face — a Government approved register of accredited practitioners — received two more complaints about Mr Scott and his use of a fake qualification.
Director Ashton Collins said the customers who reported him chose him because they were under the impression he was a doctor.
Mr Scott, who also runs aesthetics training business, the Yorkshire Aesthetics Training Academy, was visited by health and safety officers from Hull City Council in 2024 after concerns were raised about his credentials.
Although they said a number of issued that required improvement were found, no formal action was taken because the business was receptive to its requests.
Mr Scott told the BBC that the clinic has learnt its lesson.
‘While we may have made mistakes in the beginning, we have always given 100 per cent of our ability to our clients. We have learnt valuable lessons and progressed with ongoing training and development already,’ he said.
But warnings about the aesthetics industry have been made for years.
In 2022, the Health and Care Act gave The Government powers to introduce licensing for practitioners who carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England.
Yet, this has still not been enacted.
Currently anyone can legally give Botox and dermal fillers in the UK including non-medical professionals like beauticians.
However, because Botox is a prescription-only medication it still needs to to be prescribed by a medical professional, such as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or nurse prescriber.
Campaigners want to see a licensing regime for business and individuals providing these treatments to help keep Brits safe.
An estimated 900,000 Botox injections are carried out in the UK each year, most without any complaints from patients.
But Save Face received almost 3,000 complaints in 2022 alone, with over two-thirds of those complaints relating to dermal fillers and almost a quarter relating to Botox.
