A hair treatment shop in Yau Ma Tei was raided yesterday after a public complaint that it was selling a hair product containing banned substances. A 41-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were arrested “for sale and possession of an unregistered pharmaceutical product and Part I poisons”, namely Winfa, a hair loss treatment.
The product contains minoxidil, finasteride and dexamethasone. Minoxidil is known to cause scalp irritation and itchiness, finasteride is known to cause loss of libido, erectile disfunction and complications in pregnancy, while dexamethasone can cause “moon face”.
We didn’t know what moon face was either, so we looked it up, with hilarious results.
According to WebMD: “If your face has gradually swollen into a rounded shape, you may have… moon face, [where] the sides of your face may become so round from the buildup of fat that the ears can’t be seen from the front of your face.”
So if your scalp itches, you’re not doing so hot in the bedroom and you can’t see your ears, it’s time to change shampoo.
In all seriousness though, because this is serious, products containing these nasties must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and should only be prescribed by a doctor. The maximum penalty for selling unregistered pharmaceutical products is a fine of HKD100,000 and two years imprisonment.
Hong Kong consumers are urged to look out for the registration numbers in the format of HK-XXXXX on the packaging.
Photo: Tim McFarlane via Flickr
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