Healthcare services at Estetic clinic suspended immediately in Helsinki over patient safety concerns

Finland’s Licensing and Supervisory Agency immediately suspended healthcare services at Lääkäriklinikka Estetic after an unannounced inspection found serious risks to patient, data and equipment safety.

The inspection took place at the clinic’s premises in Helsinki on Aug. 26. The agency said it had received reports in May and June that patient safety had been endangered during procedures.

Inspectors found botulinum toxin, hyaluronidase, topical anesthetics and antibiotic ointments without marketing authorization. The clinic also advertised intravenous NAD+ treatments, although the product has no marketing authorization in Finland. Estetic had not reported all the healthcare services advertised on its website to Finland’s national Soteri register of service providers.

Medication storage also fell short of requirements. Medicines were kept either in unlocked areas or in a locked cabinet in a staff room accessible to people who were not healthcare professionals. The agency said the clinic carried out laser treatments without authorization, while its patient-record storage endangered privacy and some legally required documents were missing.

The clinic could not show that botulinum toxin injections took place under a doctor’s direction and supervision, with a doctor immediately available on site. Inspectors also found incomplete or missing CE markings on some medical devices, inadequate maintenance and operating instructions, and no equipment register. Senior inspector Toni Honkakorpi said the inspection left the impression that the company lacked a systematic process and sufficient expertise to ensure the safe use of medical devices.

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We found medicines without marketing authorization, including botulinum toxin and hyaluronidase, as well as topical anesthetics and antibiotic ointments. Medicines without marketing authorization should not be present in a healthcare service unit.