$10k for Botox: Celeb doctor Joseph Hkeik’s insane lockdown offers

A cosmetic doctor to the stars has detailed the extreme lengths his clients went to in order to persuade him to break the rules during lockdown.

Cosmetic doctor to the stars Joseph Hkeik has detailed the extreme lengths some of his clients went to in order to persuade him to break the rules during the Covid lockdown.

The injectables specialist from Double Bay’s All Saints Clinic was inundated with requests via his phone, email and social media.

“People offered to come to where I was or to fly me to them,” he said. “Someone offered me $10,000 for a couple of jabs of Botox. Someone called me irresponsible for closing the practice because of how good it made them feel after a treatment.

“They said it was bad for their health and wellbeing. I wouldn’t do it because I couldn’t. I needed to do my bit for the community and isolate like everyone else.”

Sydney Botox Boom. Dr Joseph Hkeik, at his Double Bay clinic. PictureÕs Darren Leigh Roberts

Hkeik’s celebrity clients have included Elle Macpherson, Sir Cliff Richard and Rita Ora.

He has described a “Botox and filler boom’ as Sydneysiders ready themselves after four months of lockdown. Hkeik himself was already booked out until Christmas even before lockdown in June.

“A lot of people have really missed out on their procedures,” he said. “It is a crazy time for us.”

Mascne or ‘mask acne’, he said, is a real thing. Zoom face, where people obsess about their face after spending hours online each day, is also an issue.

Celebrity client Rita Ora. Source - Instagram

“A lot of people are struggling with those conditions,” he said. “If you are wearing a mask all day, your skin doesn’t breath very well. Plus, being in lockdown and being stressed too your internal hormones are out of whack so a lot of people have breakouts.”

Hkeik warned people they get what they pay for in the injectables space, suggesting they should be careful when choosing the right clinic.

Less is more, he said.

Model client Elle Macpherson. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Singing client Sir Cliff Richard.

“You don’t just do it because someone else is getting something done,” he said. “I will say no if I don’t think the client needs anything. I don’t care what Kim Kardashian does. If you are more beautiful than her, why would you want to do a procedure trying to look like her. People are nowadays informed about what the procedures do but they are not informed about whether or not they need it.”