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InterNations
BEIJING DAILY

Shot Of Trouble: Fake Botox In China

Real thing in China?
Real thing in China?
Lisa Lane

BEIJING — Authorities have carried out a series of raids on beauty salons in the Chinese capital in an effort to crack down on counterfeit Botox, The Beijing News reports.

Botox is popular in China, where many young women aspire to have a thin V-shape face. But the high price of injections, which require regular follow-up sessions at clinics, has resulted in many women seeking black-market options that involve fake products, the article claims.

Counterfeit Botox is bought for up to 300 RMB ($45) and sold for many times that amount through aggressive social media promotion, online chat platforms and word-of-mouth. The injections are done in beauty parlors, rented apartments or hotel rooms. A Botox session takes only a few minutes, and is often referred to as the "lunch break cosmetic" in China,

"The black market is almost out of control," Dr. Wang Zhongjie, a member of Chinese Medical Association, told the news outlet.

Unqualified beauticians carry out the injections. "It may be injected into a blood vessel by these people without professional medical training," said Xiu Zhifu, a plastic surgeon.

Vanity, it would seem, has no limits.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Putin's "Pig-Like" Latvia Threat Is A Chilling Reminder Of What's At Stake In Ukraine

In the Ukraine war, Russia's military spending is as high as ever. Now the West is alarmed because the Kremlin leader is indirectly hinting at a possible attack on Latvia, a NATO member. It is a reminder of a growing danger to Europe.

Photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Pavel Lokshin

-Analysis-

BERLIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin sometimes chooses downright bizarre occasions to launch his threats against the West. It was at Monday's meeting of the Russian Human Rights Council, where Putin expressed a new, deep concern. It was not of course about the human rights of the thousands of political prisoners in his own country, but about the Russian population living in neighboring Latvia, which happens to be a NATO member, having to take language tests.

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