LIP DISSERVICE
My lips ballooned to triple their size thanks to dodgy fillers – they’re wonky and full of jelly bean-shaped lumps
A MUM is warning people to do their research before getting fillers after her lips ballooned to triple their size and left her looking like 'she'd been punched in the face'.
Louise Smith shared horrifying pictures of her swollen, lumpy and 'wonky' lips after having the pre-Christmas salon treatment that left her with painful 'jellybean'-shaped lumps.
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The 25-year-old wanted to get her 'small' lips filled to boost her confidence so booked an appointment to get 1.1ml of filler at a salon.
Excited at the prospect of flaunting a fuller pout, Louise paid £80 to go under the needle last month - however she claims the procedure was so painful she almost passed out.
Louise's excitement soon turned to horror when her lips tripled in size and were noticeably lumpy and uneven.
Now the full-time mum is sharing her ordeal in a bid to urge people to be careful when they get lip fillers, and to thoroughly research their practitioner before plumping for the treatment.
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Louise, from Bognor, West Sussex, said: "An hour after getting my lips done they swelled up and then later that evening they were absolutely massive, they were three times the size they should be.
"I knew from the first time I had my lips done that swelling would go down in a day or two and be ok, it was the wonkiness that was bothering me.
"When they went down they didn't feel any better because they were just wonky and uneven.
"It was upsetting looking in the mirror and seeing them like that. It looked like I'd been punched in the face quite a few times, they were just horrible.
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Had Our Fill campaign
Britain's Botox and filler addiction is fuelling a £2.75billion industry.
The wrinkle-busting and skin plumping treatments account for 9 out of 10 cosmetic procedures.
50% of women and 40% of men aged 18 to 34 want to plump up their pouts and tweak their faces.
Fillers are totally unregulated and incredibly you don’t need to have ANY qualifications to buy and inject them.
83% of botched jobs are performed by people with no medical training, often in unsanitary environments - with devastating results.
Women have been left with rotting tissue, needing lip amputations, lumps and even blinded by botched jobs.
Despite the dangers, there is no legal age limit for dermal filler, which is why Fabulous has launched Had Our Fill, a campaign calling for:
- fillers to be made illegal for under 18s
- a crackdown on social media sites plugging fillers
- a Government-backed central register for practitioners with accredited qualifications
We're working in conjunction with and are backed by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
We want anyone considering a non-surgical cosmetic treatment to be well-informed to make a safe decision.
We’ve Had Our Fill of rogue traders and sham clinics - have you?
"I was left with a solid, massive lump a bit bigger than a jellybean on my top lip and another one but bigger on my bottom right lip.
"There's one the size of a 5p and the rest are about the size of a bb bullet, there are loads of them on the inside of my mouth.
"The lumps are still sore now, I've been told to try and massage them to help slowly get rid of it but it really hurts because the lumps in my lips are so solid, big and really deep."
Louise opted for the cheap procedure after seeing a Facebook advert claiming to be from an experienced practitioner who was new to the area and offering a deal to boost her client base.
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After quizzing her on her credentials, Louise was signposted to the woman's Instagram page where she claimed pictures were before and after shots of clients she'd done work on.
Initially dubious, Louise and a pal decided to go ahead with the treatment as a pre-Christmas treat.
Louise said: "She advertised it as an £80 Christmas offer, it was all over Facebook and in all the selling pages.
"I messaged her asking why it was so cheap, she said she was new to the area and needed to build up a client base.
"She told me she had two years' experience, gave me her Instagram to look at but there weren't really any pictures.
It's kind of been a blessing in disguise to wear a mask to go out anywhere.
Louise Smith
"I was a bit wary. It seemed a bit off because it was so cheap but we went for it anyway because the practitioner reassured she was experienced."
Mid-way through the procedure, Louise said she asked the woman to stop as she started to feel unwell.
Louise said: "I was really nervous, about half-way through mine I started feeling dizzy and asked her to stop. I was really close to passing out, it wasn't very nice.
"It was a lot more painful than the first time I had them done, it stung a lot.
"The first time I had them done there weren't that many needle insertions whereas this time I didn't even count, it was so many.
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"As soon as I came out of the salon I said to my friend 'I don't like them'.
"I didn't feel comfortable to say that to the lady when she asked if I liked them because there wasn't really much she could do anyway."
After her lips ballooned Louise frantically messaged the practitioner and claims she was eventually blocked from contacting her.
At a loss how to contact her, Louise she was forced to call her out in now-deleted Facebook posts and demand a refund, which she finally received.
Louise sought advice from another practitioner who advised her to let her lips settle down and to explore the possibility of having further treatment in a few months' time.
Louise said: "I went to see a different practitioner and she said a lot of filler had been done way too deep so that's why it hurt.
"I've been told to try and massage the lumps to help slowly get rid of them but it's really painful."
Upset Louise said she eventually got a refund from the practitioner but has been left self-conscious about her appearance.
Louise said: "My lips are really small and the first time I got them done it helped with my confidence a lot but obviously now I feel worse about my appearance.
"It's kind of been a blessing in disguise to wear a mask to go out anywhere.
"At first it put me off [having fillers again] but after seeing the lady that checked my lips she made me feel so much more comfortable.
"She said she could have just taken my money then and put more in to make them even but instead she told me to wait and come back in a few months' time, obviously when lockdown's done, to check them again."
Louise is now sharing her ordeal to urge people to do their research before going under the needle and so no-one goes through what she has.
Louise said: "The lumps are still noticeable to me because it's my face. My lips are still uneven, wonky and the lumps don't seem to be going away, they're still solid.
"Because of lockdown I can't go to anyone else to sort them out. I've just got to bide my time until lockdown's lifted and I can go to someone.
"To have them dissolved is double the price I paid and then I'd be starting with smaller lips.
"I've been told to keep massaging them and just give it time and hopefully they will go.
"My advice to people looking to get their lips done is to check the business pages, read reviews ask to see their qualifications and before and after pictures."
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