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Botox and lip fillers are easy to find in BC, but practitioners aren't just educated — they have to be licensed health-care workers.

Caught without the right accreditation not only risks enforcement from regulatory bodies, but also the courts as one Kamloops woman learned recently.

Jessica Earthy appears to have known the limitations as she posed as a nurse to her customers. In fact, her only health-care experience was previous work as a care aide and instruction at a Lower Mainland doctor's Botox parties, the court heard.

Doctors, dentists and some nurses can perform cosmetic injections and they're typically done in a clinical setting, but licensed doctors haven't faced enforcement by the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons for hosting so-called Botox parties.

The college couldn't comment on how Earthy got her hands on the injectables, but it did offer a warning for prospective customers who go to an unlicensed provider.

"Receiving an injection of a prescription drug from an unlicensed practitioner is risky and has the potential for complications, including reaction to agents, infections, or greater harm due to human error," the college said in a statement.

Earthy offered lip filler injections at her unlicensed home business in 2022 before she was charged with fraud and assault. Multiple patients had reported complications and later went to Kamloops RCMP. She pleaded guilty in a Kamloops courtroom last week.

Crown prosecutor Ben Martin said Earthy learned how to do the injections from a Lower Mainland doctor, who then encouraged her to start a business as the procedures were not "rocket science."

Who that doctor is or whether they were licensed isn't known. It's also not known how Earthy got the medications needed.

Botox and other cosmetic injections can't be purchased by just anyone.

"It cannot lawfully be sold to a member of the public except by a licensed pharmacist, from the 'professional service area' of a pharmacy," the college said in a statement.

Regulators for doctors, nurses and dentists have all taken action against unlicensed use of cosmetic injections.

Multiple unlicensed doctors have faced the college and court action for lip fillers and Botox injections in recent years, including Maria Ezzati who faced jail time for repeatedly offering injections at Vancouver Botox parties.

Even a licensed nurse was reprimanded last year. She offered the injections at her own business without a doctor present.

Though no one was injured, nurses have to meet additional requirements before giving the injections. They must have specific education and be supervised by a doctor.

Licensed doctors and dentists, meanwhile, don't need certification but they are required to take specific training on the procedure, according to both professions' regulators.

Meanwhile, health authorities largely remain out of the realm of cosmetics and enforcement.

In a statement, an Interior Health spokesperson said any complaints of unlicensed cosmetic providers would be referred to the regulators.

The health authority suggested prospective clients verify their provider is licensed and in good standing with their respective college before having procedures done.

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