warning: Korean vitamin whitening shots could be lethal

[aventine]

I just saw this in the newspaper and on my Twitter feed. Sounds pretty dangerous and even worse as people pay money to hurt themselves. Hope no TPFers fall prey to these vitamin shot scams in Korea.

At a plastic surgery clinic in Jongno District, central Seoul, a poster reads: “The skin lightening effects confirmed by Beyonce and IU are safe enough even for pregnant women.”

But those who took the shots say otherwise.

“I supposed my overall health conditions will get better after taking the injection,” said Seo Hee-jeong, a 28-year-old woman exiting a cosmetic surgery clinic in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, where a row of beauty clinics operate.

“The clinic said my blood circulation has improved but I don’t buy it.”

In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration warned against having glutathione injected, saying it may cause serious injury, even death. It added that the use of glutathione administered intravenously as a skin-whitening agent may trigger adverse reactions or serious infections.

The hype is unlikely to be toned down considering Korea’s light approach to false medical claims, even outrageous ones.

Only 33 clinics in Seoul were slapped with administrative measures for false advertising since 2007.

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http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2978914&cloc=joongangdaily|home|newslist1

https://twitter.com/HooDaegu/status/390319247567495169

 

[shinyglittery]

Aventine said: ↑

I just saw this in the newspaper and on my Twitter feed. Sounds pretty dangerous and even worse as people pay money to hurt themselves. Hope no TPFers fall prey to these vitamin shot scams in Korea.



http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2978914&cloc=joongangdaily|home|newslist1

https://twitter.com/HooDaegu/status/390319247567495169

Click to expand...

thank you for sharing~ it is misleading to call them "vitamin injections" when glutathione and thioctic acid/ALA aren't vitamins... but neither of them are dangerous or unhealthy... you can find them in some normal vitamin pills that you can by prescription free... glutathione is an antioxidant and very healthy, I have never heard of an "overdose" of it... it's found in tomatoes and spinach in large amounts and all vegetables... anyone died of eating tomatoes? i'm not making fun of any warnings, I appreciate all warnings to keep us safe but the article says nothing that would really prove they're unhealthy... If they really are, I wish the article would say why... those things that it listed, they are not unhealthy, and saying they are is a lie...

 

[gondolarez]

Can this really cause death? I heard that vitamin injections are pretty popular in Taiwan and I even got some when I was living in Singapore... I'm wondering if the components in the Korean vitamin injections are different from others?

 

[shinyglittery]

gondolarez said: ↑

Can this really cause death? I heard that vitamin injections are pretty popular in Taiwan and I even got some when I was living in Singapore... I'm wondering if the components in the Korean vitamin injections are different from others?

Click to expand...

seems like a crazy rumour xD i am actually surprised to read they use glutathione and the "lypoaran" they are really really good for you... seems like a modern thing to do i just thought it was like vitamin c and something... (by the way vitamin c is acid... so if you injected it without neutralizing it first... that could kill you haha that's the only way i can think of vitamin killing... )

really i would like to see some facts for these crazy claims about deaths... it's good to warn people but if the warnings are just fantasy... not good...

oh another thing I heard Korean customs seized a shipment of "vitamin injections" or something from China... that contained human tissue, probably fetuses and stuff... You know that backalley Chinese stuff, I hate that practice... can't believe people in China still do that T_T eat fetuses get young... yeah yeah...