Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Shefali Jariwala’s death exposed a grim truth: behind the glowing skin and filters lies a culture of silent suffering, driven by youth-obsessed standards and influencer-fueled “miracle” fixes.
Glutathione, once a medical aid for liver damage, now doubles as an unregulated skin-lightening shortcut. But IV misuse could trigger anything from allergic shock to kidney failure. Who’s watching?
In April, the CDC warned of botulism outbreaks from black-market Botox. Fake injections paralyzed patients. India’s booming aesthetic clinics could be next. Are you injecting beauty—or poison?
Repurposed drugs for anti-ageing are flooding the supplement scene. Backed by zero human trials and peddled as panaceas, they’re chemistry experiments sold in pretty jars—and nobody’s regulating the lab.
Most IV beauty infusions are dosed by guesswork. Glutathione, when miscalculated, can wreck your antioxidant balance or worse—yet clinics across India continue, unsanctioned and under-trained.
Shefali was reportedly fasting when her body reacted. A cocktail of self-medicated compounds plus starvation may have tipped her into shock. A perfect storm enabled by wellness myths.
Why do women risk death for dewy skin? Social media idolizes youth, algorithmically punishing wrinkles and pores. Behind every anti-ageing post is a person trying not to disappear.
Skin clinics now resemble beauty vending machines. But most anti-ageing treatments require medical precision, sterile environments, and real diagnostics—not salon chairs and Instagram credentials.
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Experts say many anti-ageing products are glorified snake oil. But when stars endorse them, the public follows. What killed Shefali may not be one compound—but a system selling “safe” shortcuts to perfection.