Self-styled celebrity Botox expert offered unhappy facelift patient £2,000 refund if she dropped her complaint against him

  • John Parker gave the woman patient a Polydioxanone non-surgical facelift
  • She was unhappy with the results, asked for a refund and made a formal complaint which was investigated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council
  • Parker admitted offering to give back the money if she dropped the case 
  • He was given a three-year caution order but is allowed to continue working 

Self-styled celebrity Botox specialist John Parker (pictured) offered a disgruntled facelift patient a £2,000 refund if she dropped a complaint against him

Self-styled celebrity Botox specialist John Parker (pictured) offered a disgruntled facelift patient a £2,000 refund if she dropped a complaint against him

A self-styled celebrity Botox specialist offered a disgruntled facelift patient a £2,000 refund if she dropped her complaint against him, a tribunal has heard.

John Parker, who describes himself on Twitter as a 'celebrity non-surgical aesthetician', had given the woman a Polydioxanone non-surgical facelift, but she was not happy with the results.

She complained to Trading Standards, and was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), who began an investigation into Parker.

However, the woman withdrew her complaint when Parker offered to give her back her money in exchange for her dropping  the case.

He has now been cautioned by the NMC, after a panel found he had deliberately attempted to frustrate the investigation into his fitness to practice by refunding the money.

The caution order will last three years, but Parker, who owns John Parker Aesthetics Limited in Woolton, Liverpool, is allowed to continue working and performing treatments. 

Parker has also previously admitted to lying about having a celebrity client to gain business, and in June 2014 was handed a two year caution order by the NMC for giving botox without a prescription and using an unlicensed treatment to remove a vein.

The registered nurse, claims to have experience working in Harley Street, Paris and the USA, and on Twitter describes himself as 'one of the UK's leading practitioners.' 

Polydioxanone (PDO) is a popular and supposedly painless procedure where dissolvable thread is injected into the skin using needles to tighten sagging skin, and Parker gave the woman the treatment to her face, forehead and neck at the cost of £2,000 in September 2014. 

But she was unhappy with the facelift and on the same day requested her money back, although Parker refused.

She had been getting treatment from Parker for two years previously, the hearing was told.

The woman contacted Trading Standards and made a formal complaint, which was then passed to the NMC.

After an exchange of text messages Parker offered to refund the woman if she withdrew the referral to the NMC. Following the offer the woman withdrew her complaint.

Parker admitted to offering the woman her money back if she dropped to case and said he regretted not being open and honest with the NMC investigation.

Handing Parker the caution order, panel chair Christine Castledine said: 'The panel accepts that the patient first mentioned the NMC and offered to withdraw her complaint if she received a refund.

John Parker, who describes himself on Twitter as a 'celebrity non-surgical aesthetician', and owns John Parker Aesthetics Limited, which was based in this building in Woolton, Liverpool

John Parker, who describes himself on Twitter as a 'celebrity non-surgical aesthetician', and owns John Parker Aesthetics Limited, which was based in this building in Woolton, Liverpool

WHAT IS A POLYDIOXANONE NON-SURGICAL FACELIFT?

Polydioxanone (PDO) is a popular and supposedly painless procedure where a soluble thread is injected into the skin using needles to tighten sagging skin.

Thread lifts are a relatively new non-surgical facelift technique, during which a practitioner uses a fine needle to inject the special thread weaves, which are made from the substance PDO, into the skin to tighten it.

The injections give an immediate lifting effect, as well as stimulate the body to produce more of its own natural collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid leading to improved results in the following weeks. 

The effects are said to mimic those of a facelift, but without the need for surgery and the procedure takes around half an hour, depending on the areas being targeted.

Injections are usually placed above the eyebrow to lift the brow, under the eyes to diminish sagging, and around the mouth. The procedure can also be carried out on other areas of the body to tighten the skin.

There are no incisions made, so patients are unlikely to suffer any scarring, and although patients might feel discomfort it is said to not be particularly painful. However, some people may experience swelling a bruising from the injections.

Effects can last up to two years, with the thread dissolving into the body over the course of three to six months.  

'Following that text message, by way of two telephone calls and a letter, you attempted to persuade her to withdraw all allegations against you and for the NMC investigation to be stopped.

'Offering a refund to a patient as an incentive for a referral made against you to your regulator, who was investigating serious allegations made against you, to be withdrawn, undermines public confidence in the profession.

'It also calls into question your honesty and integrity.

'The panel was concerned that despite being subject to a two-year caution order, you sought to exclude the NMC from this investigation.

'Your actions deliberately frustrated an investigation by the NMC into your fitness to practice and demonstrated a blatant disregard for your regulator.

'For the next three years, any prospective patients and employer will be on notice that your fitness to practise was found to be impaired and that your registration is subject to a caution order.' 

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