She checked the clinic that injected her Botox and found unregistered staff, an absent medical director and a criminal conviction
After five years at one Maple med spa, a patient discovered injectors were not registered nurses, the listed medical director was absent, and an owner was convicted of assault. Oversight remains fragmented.
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By Torontoer Staff
After five years as a client at Elysium Beauty Clinic in Maple, Ont., Misha von Shlezinger researched the people and licences behind the injections she had trusted. She discovered the injectors were not registered nurses in Ontario, the clinic’s listed medical director had limited involvement, and one of the owners was later convicted in a sexual assault case. Her findings prompted complaints to multiple regulators and a broader look at oversight of esthetic clinics.
Von Shlezinger pursued the information because of health concerns and what she saw as a pattern of concerning practice. The experience illustrates how med spas, beauty clinics and esthetic providers can fall into regulatory blind spots even as demand for injectables and threadlifts grows.
What von Shlezinger found at Elysium
Von Shlezinger says she first built trust with two Russian-speaking injectors at Elysium, including a co-owner who introduced herself as a registered nurse. She received Botox regularly and had fillers dissolved successfully. In 2021, staff at the clinic encouraged her to have a threadlift, a procedure that inserts barbed threads under the skin to lift and tighten the face.
After the threadlift she noticed bleeding, bruising and ongoing dimpling and swelling. Months later she could not open her mouth wide enough during a dental X-ray. She later learned the women who had been injecting her were not registered nurses in Ontario, and that the physician listed as the clinic’s medical director was rarely on site.
I want them to stop hurting people.
Misha von Shlezinger
Elysium denied the allegations in an emailed statement to the Star, calling them false and part of what it described as harassment from competitors. The clinic said its injectors were delegated to perform treatments by the medical director and that it follows guidelines and protocols.
We never violate any rules; we follow all guidelines and protocols.
Elysium Beauty Clinic, emailed statement
Von Shlezinger filed complaints with the College of Nurses of Ontario and York Region public health. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario investigated the clinic’s listed medical director, Dr. Arthur Staroselsky, and ultimately placed conditions on his licence while citing a lack of knowledge about delegation rules and his responsibilities as medical director.
Regulation in pieces: who oversees what
The esthetic injectable market in Canada generated more than $700 million in 2023 and is projected to exceed $1 billion by 2030. Regulation of clinics and practitioners, however, is split among multiple bodies, creating gaps in oversight.
Health Canada regulates health products and devices, not the practitioners who administer them. Provincial colleges regulate licensed professions: the CPSO oversees physicians, the College of Nurses of Ontario oversees nurses, and other regulators govern massage therapists, estheticians and similar professions. Local public health units inspect clinics for infection prevention and sanitation, but not necessarily for staff qualifications or clinical supervision.
Because of the way regulations work, sometimes the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, and even when the left hand knows, neither of them has the power to do anything.
Dr. Asif Pirani, cosmetic plastic surgeon
That fragmentation meant von Shlezinger’s complaints had to move through separate processes. The CPSO ultimately cautioned and imposed conditions on the physician who had been named as the clinic’s medical director. The College of Nurses of Ontario is investigating allegations that injectors misrepresented their credentials. York Region public health completed a three-day probe but would not disclose details to von Shlezinger.
A criminal conviction that regulators missed
While researching the clinic, von Shlezinger discovered that one of Elysium’s former co-owners, Aleksei Chernyak, had been arrested in 2021 and later convicted in absentia in a sexual assault case that reportedly took place at the clinic. The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario said it had not been aware of the charge because members are required to self-report convictions and Chernyak did not do so. His registration has since been suspended.
Elysium did not respond to questions about the owner’s conviction. Social posts suggest former owners have left Canada; the clinic says management has changed and the former owners have departed the country.
Practical steps for people considering injectables and threadlifts
- Confirm provider credentials, including registration numbers, on provincial college registries before booking a procedure.
- Ask who the clinic’s medical director is and request a current, documented relationship or supervision plan.
- Request a consultation with the delegating physician or an authorised prescriber where applicable, and insist on written consent that lists risks and alternatives.
- Check public health inspection records and look for documented complaints or licence suspensions.
- Keep records and photos of treatments and follow up with your primary care provider if you have concerns after a procedure.
Industry groups and some physicians are calling for clearer rules. Ontario’s medical regulator has been considering changes that would limit how physicians delegate responsibility in clinics and require more demonstrable involvement by medical directors.
What this case shows
Von Shlezinger’s experience underscores how quickly a booming esthetics market can outpace regulatory clarity. Multiple regulators now have a record of her complaints, and some action has been taken, but the case also reveals how easy it can be for clinics to operate with inconsistent supervision and for concerns to fall between agencies.
For consumers the lesson is straightforward: verify who will perform your treatments, check licences yourself and get clear documentation before proceeding. For regulators the case strengthens calls for more coordinated oversight of esthetic medicine and related services.
estheticsmed spasconsumer safetyBotoxOntario
