Death of a Young Woman at a Beauty Salon: Products from Asia, the Scourge of Illegal Injections
Several days after the death of a young woman at a beauty salon in Nice, three people were charged, notably with involuntary manslaughter and the illegal practice of medicine. The death occurred following an injection of lidocaine into her buttocks.
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The investigation is moving forward, and the sequence of events is gradually becoming clearer. Three people have been charged following the death on Monday, July 27, of a 25-year-old woman at a beauty salon in Nice. She died of cardiac arrest, the district attorney’s office said in a statement released Thursday, confirming the revelations from Nice-Matin.
«After receiving an injection of lidocaine, an anesthetic, prior to the Botox injection [in her buttocks], she immediately collapsed. Despite an attempt at resuscitation by the person who administered the injection, followed by a rapid response from emergency responders, the young woman died at the scene,» reported Nice Public Prosecutor Damien Martinelli.
The investigation, which was handed over to the local criminal investigation department, was opened on charges including involuntary manslaughter, endangering others, and the illegal practice of medicine. In connection with this case, the person who administered the injection and the manager of the establishment were indicted and subsequently placed in pretrial detention. A 32-year-old man—the husband of the 36-year-old woman who administered the injection—was also indicted and placed under judicial supervision.
Dr. Sylvain David's Opinion
«There have already been two deaths in France, and there will be more. As plastic surgeon, »I believe that such a procedure must be performed in a medical setting to ensure the necessary safety conditions. For my part, I do not administer this type of intramuscular injection in my office."
«Several mechanisms can explain such a sudden death following a lidocaine injection. The most feared is what is known as systemic toxicity from local anesthetics: if a large amount of the drug enters the bloodstream—either due to an overdose or because the needle accidentally punctured a blood vessel—lidocaine no longer merely numbs the local nerves; it blocks the heart and brain. This leads to convulsions, followed by cardiac arrhythmias that can progress to cardiopulmonary arrest.”.
No training or authorization
According to the prosecution, the woman who administered the injection «had neither proper training nor authorization to perform the injections she was administering on request»; this illegal practice is said to date back to 2022. The woman in her thirties also admitted to using «regulated products intended for medical use only.» When questioned by investigators, she described herself as a cosmetologist from the Paris region who was on vacation in the Var, where the salon manager allegedly asked her to perform the procedure.
The husband of the woman who administered the injection, who was present when the client suffered cardiac arrest, reportedly left the scene with incriminating items «taken at his wife’s request.» He turned himself in at the police station the next day, claiming he was unaware that his wife’s activities were illegal.
The manager, for her part, admitted to having «administered injections herself before stopping.» The magistrate emphasized that «the business appeared to have no administrative or tax registration» and that this woman was «known for violations during inspections.» She also admitted to frequently renting out her premises «to outside providers, most often accepting cash payments without knowing, according to her, what was being done there,» the prosecutor’s office notes.
Products from Asia
Officially, this beauty salon—which has been open since July 2024—offers nail, hair, and eyelash treatments, but no injections. However, during the raid, «numerous new and used products, including medications and injectable products clearly originating from Asia» were discovered, along with 1,500 euros in cash, Le Figaro also reports.
At this stage, no formal link can be established between the client’s death and the illegal injections. The autopsy and toxicology tests will need to clarify the causes of this sudden cardiac arrest. In an interview with Paris Match, Dr. Cyrille Devoir, an emergency physician and cosmetic doctor in Val-de-Marne, said he considers it «dangerous to see this type of service become more widespread,» particularly for «body contouring injections targeting the buttocks.».
