I was so addicted to filler that my 30th birthday ‘glow up’ left me deformed – my face even started to rot
A MUM’S bid to have a face glow-up for her 30th birthday left her looking ”deformed” with a ”beak” – when her lips began to ROT away.
Nicole McManus decided to freshen up her face ahead of her 30th birthday bash in June by getting 1ml of filler inserted into her cheeks and lips.
The mum-of-two, who lives near Preston, Lancashire, had been using filler and anti-wrinkle injections for the last ten years without any issues.
However, weeks after her most recent appointment, Nicole noticed her cheek had begun to swell.
Concerned about an infection, the 30-year-old returned to her practitioner who advised her to go to hospital where they warned Nicole cut away part of her cheek.
Luckily, the swelling on Nicole’s face went down but just two weeks later, her lips suddenly blew up – leaving the stay-at-home mum embarrassed to leave the house.
Desperate, Nicole found another practitioner who was horrified at the state of her face and told her that her lips had gone into necrosis – the death of body tissue or cells.
The mum has since had all her cheek and lip filler dissolved but feels she’s been left ‘deformed and botched’ by her cosmetic procedures.
Nicole said: “I just wanted to get it done to make myself feel a bit better about myself. Then it became an addiction. I would say I was addicted. You look at yourself and think I’ll just get a bit more in.
“I’d used this practitioner for over a year now and there’d been no issues up until June when everything started to go wrong.
“I wanted to have a glow up for my 30th birthday so got my cheeks and lips done but then they both swelled up a few months later. I had to go to my 30th birthday with a swollen cheek.
“I went to Preston Royal Hospital because I was so concerned and they thought it was an infection. They mentioned having to cut into my cheek. It was just botched filler that had been injected wrong.
“Then two weeks later, my lips started to swell on one side and I thought what the hell is going on. My lip filler had travelled up my face towards my eye socket.
“My lips were so swollen I could hardly drink. I sent the nurse a message begging her for help. She wasn’t apologetic or concerned, she didn’t care.
“I was in so much pain. I looked like I’d been battered. My lips were so swollen. I was so embarrassed to walk out the house. My top lip looked like a beak.”
And Nicole said she was so horrified by her appearance on her 30th birthday, she refused to let anyone take photos of her.
Nicole said: “I didn’t want my picture taken. I didn’t take any at all that day.”
What are the risks of lip fillers?
THE RISKS of dermal fillers depend on whether the procedure was done correctly and the type of filler used.
The NHS recommends you speak to your practitioner about the risks beforehand.
Serious problems are rare but can include:
- Infection
- A lumpy appearance under the skin, which might need to be treated with surgery or medicine
- The filler moving away from the intended treatment area, which may need to be removed using surgery
- Scarring
- Blocked blood vessels in the face, which can cause tissue death and permanent blindness
You should see your GP if you have any complications that need medical attention and speak to your practitioner if you’re not happy with the results or experience lumpiness.
Source: NHS
After a course of antibiotics, Nicole visited another practitioner who told her that her lips were beginning to ‘rot away’ due to infection.
Nicole said: “She saved my lips. I got told by her that I could’ve lost my lips because of necrosis starting. My lips were starting to rot away.
“This could’ve been life-threatening if it had turned into sepsis.
“I’ve been left with deformed lips. They’re still bruised weeks later. I’ve been botched, I hate speaking to people because of how my lips look. They look horrendous.
“Think twice about getting filler done. I should’ve appreciated my natural looks. I regret what I’ve had done because I’ve been left with this.”