I’m a model but was left with a blistering face after paying for cheap fillers – now I’m in agony
A STUNNING model was left in agony with a blistering face after paying for cheap fillers in Thailand.
Mali Kanjanaphuping had been feeling insecure about her smile and wanted more defined cheeks before the nightmare happened.
Thinking a cosmetic procedure could help, the 26-year-old returned to her regular clinic in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 17.
But after having the procedure, Mali noticed half of her face was unusually red.
And while the procedure was nothing new to her, she thought it was a normal side effect and trusted the clinic until she woke up the next day with sore blisters around her face.
Pictures show how the model was left unrecognisable by the swollen red patch around her nose and right cheek.
Oil and pus ooze out of the painful pimple-like blisters.
Her face has still not fully healed a month later, despite having the filler dissolved by medics.
Speaking in the video on Monday April 17, she said: “My problem was that I have deep cheeks, and when I smile, I don’t feel confident. So I had the injection to make my face fuller.
“Before Covid, I used to go to a certain clinic for about a year. But after a while, I discovered she was just a nurse and not a doctor. But since I was injected several times before, I thought it would be alright as there had never been a mistake. I thought she had sufficient knowledge.”
The clinic charged £82.18 per injection but the long-time customer Mali received a discount, meaning she paid £63.14.
She said: “The price sounds scary, right? I was blinded by how cheap it was and thought there was nothing to worry about.
“The feelings I had in my body after the injection was strange. Less than an hour after the injection there was a bruise.
“It was all on the right side of my face. On my nose and along where the wounds are. My nose was running only on the right side. I thought maybe she might have just done it roughly.”
The model even attended events after the mishap thinking the side effect would go away on its own – but after three days, her face worsened.
She decided to see a dermatologist on May 20 where the doctor found that the filler injection clogged Mali’s blood vessels on her face.
The doctor said: “The moment I saw Mali’s face, I knew the fillers had blocked the blood vessel. It’s dangerous as the injection prevented the blood from flowing and the filler could have gone to her eyes.”
Horrified, Mali said after the consultation: “The zits that I thought were pimples, the doctor told me that those were actually pus caused by severe inflammation.
“My right nostril was painful. It felt like torture. Whenever I would breathe, I could feel the heat and pain inside. Even if I wasn’t breathing, the pain was still there.”
Mali was given a detailed consultation, injected with a filler-dissolving solution, and provided with antiseptic and antibiotics.
She was then sent to Ramathibodi Hospital for observation.
Mali has now returned to work, but the botched procedure has left a mark on her face, which the model covers with make-up.
She said: “On the wound, it felt itchy and stretchy. Luckily it did not flow into my eyes, and also, the doctors were very good. So there weren’t many scars.
“It was cheap, and I thought I knew the nurse, so I took the decision recklessly. I forgot that the person doing this to me was not a doctor. I trusted her too much. I was only thinking of the low price.”
The model treats the experience as an expensive lesson.
She said: “As for the treatment, I have spent ten times more than the filler injection price. I want to tell people that wanting beauty is normal, but if you want to be injected, you should check the solution and ensure it’s not fake. Check the clinic and check the doctors.”