'I didn't provide Botox — my wife did': B.C. man denies allegations of illegal practice

The B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons is asking the courts to step in and order a Coquitlam man to stop injecting Botox and calling himself a doctor.

The college filed a petition against Kamran Asgari and his Burnaby business, Ideal Skin Laser and Wellness, on Thursday in B.C. Supreme Court, seeking a permanent injunction.

On his clinic's website, Asgari uses the prefix "Dr." in front of his name and calls himself as an IMD — he told CBC that stands for international medical doctor. But he is not registered with the college or permitted to practice in B.C.

"Kamran Asgari is not and has never been a registrant of the college," the petition says. "Mr. Asgari nonetheless provides services in a clinic setting that only registrants of the college may lawfully provide…. While doing so he also unlawfully uses reserved titles, including 'doctor' and 'Dr.'"

In B.C., only doctors, dentists, some naturopaths and registered and licensed practical nurses are permitted to perform Botox injections or consult about the risks and benefits of the botulinum toxin.

Reached by phone Friday, Asgari said he hasn't yet had time to review the full petition, but he denied giving Botox injections.

"I didn't do anything for anyone," he said. "I didn't provide Botox — my wife did."

His wife, Dr. Mitra Motamedi, is a registered dentist in B.C. 

But affidavits submitted to the court by the college's undercover investigators tell a different story.

"In all of the telephone and in-person interactions I have had with Mr. Asgari, he has never mentioned Ms. Motamedi," investigator Amy Dallison wrote.

'You have some wrinkles here'

The college says it was alerted to Asgari's alleged activities by a tip from the public.

When Dallison first contacted Asgari by phone to look into that tip, she claims he told her he would perform the injections, though in a later conversation he mentioned a naturopath might do the work. During an in-person appointment, Asgari said he would do the injection, and gave her a consultation about what to expect, according to the affidavit.

That affidavit includes a transcript of a Dec. 10 consultation with Asgari, when he allegedly told Dallison he would need to use half a vial of Botox to fill some facial wrinkles.

"You have some wrinkles here (points to forehead) and that's why we need something to decrease function of muscles … with Botox," Asgari is quoted as saying.

Dallison also asked about the possibility of having a filler injected into her lips, but Asgari said he didn't have a licence for that, according to the transcript.

"We are doing some paperworks with college. And maybe after three months we can do it," he allegedly said.

Asgari has yet to file a response to the petition, but according to his LinkedIn profile, he trained as a medical doctor in Iran.

None of the allegations in the college's petition have been proven in court, and a date for a hearing on the matter has yet to be set.