'Dr. Lipjob' nets suspended sentence for illegally injecting botox

The B.C. woman known as "Dr. Lipjob" who continued to inject people with botox and dermal fillers despite being prohibited by court order has narrowly avoided going to jail.

Rajdeep Kaur Khakh of Abbotsford, B.C., was given a 30-day suspended sentence and two years probation on Friday for contempt of court, for passing herself off as a doctor and continuing to inject dermal fillers into unwitting clients in violation of a March 2018 court order. 

Prior to that order Khakh was repeatedly caught injecting clients throughout the Lower Mainland and told to stop by the B.C. College of Physicians of Surgeons. 

She will also have to pay a $4,700 fine to the court, $300 back to the main witness against her, and unspecified costs to the college. The college was seeking a sentence of 45 days in jail. 

Judge Nitya Iyer of the Supreme Court of B.C. looked directly at Khakh and said "I want you to understand your conduct is very serious. If you breach the terms you will have to serve incarceration."

Khakh, who had earlier made an apology for her conduct and repeated breaches of court orders, sat in court with tightly clasped hands, smiled tearfully at the judge and nodded vigorously as Iyer read out her sentence.

The judge said she wanted to ensure that Khakh never again pretended to be a doctor or injected clients with substances. 

"You have expressed remorse before and not changed your conduct," she said.

'Whack-a-mole' problem

Khakh, who also called herself Dr. Rajji, and Dr. R.K., used a forged medical licence to buy products and convince spas she was legitimate. She injected dermal fillers into clients in cars, homes and at "botox parties."

The college has been trying to stop her for almost four years. Its CEO, Dr. Heidi Oetter, told CBC News in an exclusive interview that dealing with Khakh was a "real whack-a-mole kind of problem."

"She'd be somewhere and then we'd close in and then she'd pop up somewhere else… we won't stop until individuals doing illegal work are stopped."

Oetter stressed that people seeking treatment should see licensed practitioners and should consult the college's website to see if somebody is licensed.

"Then you can be certain what you are receiving… are genuine products. Safe products," she said. 

Oetter cautions those who have received injections from Khakh to seek medical advice.

Only physicians, dentists and nurses or licensed practical nurses under the direct supervision of a doctor are allowed to do such injections in B.C.

'Noodle in my lip'

Connor O'Sullivan says he is still suffering pain and feels there is a "noodle in his lip" after getting what he thought was Juvederm, a popular dermal filler, injection from Khakh over a year ago. 

He doesn't think Khakh will be deterred by the sentence. 

"I actually don't think it will stop her at all. She did say sorry before, and that didn't stop her and I think she'll find another way to slip through the cracks and try again," he said.

Khakh closed her eyes and refused to comment when CBC News attempted to speak to her at court. 

She had expressed remorse in a phone interview in October 2017 and claimed she wasn't injecting clients.

The college says it intends to keep track of her activities to make sure she doesn't put the public at risk again.