I looked toothless and my lips turned hard and lumpy when I paid £130 for ‘bargain’ lip filler

A GIRL was left horrified after paying out for bargain lip filler that left her lips botched and looking like she "didn't have any teeth".

Dental nurse Jenna Maclean, 20, was always self-conscious of her lips and decided to splash out on filler after relying on face-tuning apps to plump up her pout, but was left seeking expert help when it turned her lips "hard and lumpy".

Treating herself to an early Christmas present last year, she paid £130 for the lip fillers and headed to a local beauty salon for the 15-minute treatment - instead of asking experts where she worked to take a look at her lips for.

Conscious that it would look like she was trying to nab herself a freebie, Jenna decided to go elsewhere for the procedure that usually costs £500 at her dentist, but was left regretting her decision when the filler didn't have the desired effect.

It left her top lip protruding and her lips had bled, before turning hard and lumpy. She claims her lips didn't move properly with her mouth and she almost looked toothless.

Jenna, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “I just felt my lips were too thin, I felt self-conscious about them, so when face apps that alter your pictures came out, I started using them on all my photos to create a fuller lip.

“I started doing it as a young teenager and, by the age of 14, I knew as soon as I was 18 years old, I was going to get lip fillers.”

In December 2020, she finally had the lip filler put in but was left "embarrassed" and forced to drink out of a straw all Christmas.

Jenna recalled: "The appointment was so quick, I was in and out in 15 minutes, but my lips started bleeding really badly, to the point that after the appointment I was given a baby wipe to cover my mouth.

“I was so embarrassed I kept my Covid mask on the whole way home. The bleeding stopped after about 20 minutes but then my lips began to go really hard and lumpy.

“My top lip started to protrude and when I smiled, it lowered and covered my teeth. It just looked a bit odd - it almost looked like I didn't have any teeth."

Unhappy with her lips, Jenna was left feeing "self-conscious" and felt "really miserable" as she refused to take any pictures over Christmas with her family.

My top lip started to protrude and when I smiled, it lowered and covered my teeth - it almost looked like I didn't have any teeth

Jenna Maclean

"It was hard," she said. "I felt self-conscious and I had to drink through a straw. It put a real dampener on the day and made me feel very aware of what I looked like the entire time."

As the New Year came around, Jenna was due to head back to work at The Peppermint Group Dentist and hid her lips from everyone by keeping her mask on to cover her mouth.

The dentistry also offers facial, body and medical aesthetic treatments and eventually Jenna plucked up the courage to speak to one of her colleagues about her lips.

"I knew Dr Rita did fillers, but I didn’t want to book in with my work as I didn’t want them to think I’d taken the job for free fillers! Now I wish I had asked her," she said.

"I spoke to Rita about it and she was so kind and helpful."

In the end, Jenna had to have her fillers dissolved and new ones added in - the process involved her having four injections into her lips to dissolve the fillers over a 24-hour period.

She had to pay for the corrective treatment, but was given a staff discount and insists the extra costs were "worth it".

I've learnt the hard way that you get what you pay for... if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Jenna Maclean

"Almost instantly, my lips went back to normal," Jenna revealed.

Four weeks later, once her lips were healed, Dr Rita Poddar injected new MaiLi lip fillers, that usually cost around £500.

She said: "I got a staff discount, but I still had to pay for the fillers themselves. But it was worth it!"

“They looked amazing,” said Jenna. “The MaiLi fillers were so natural and left a fuller lip but you can’t actually tell I’ve had fillers done. I’m so happy with the finish, it’s completely changed my confidence.

“The best thing is they last for around a year so I don’t need them redone until February 2022.”

Now Jenna is warning others not to "cheap out" on fillers, adding: "I've learnt the hard way that you get what you pay for.

"I hope others learn from me to think before booking in. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

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"If you are getting lip fillers, go through a registered clinician," she advised.

Dr Rita, cosmetic dental surgeon and clinical dental director of The Peppermint Group, revealed Jenna had a "lucky escape" with her botched lip filler.

"If Jenna’s artery had been injected, this would have caused tissue death, and if too much filler had been used, it would have compressed the vessels, creating problems in function and tissue viability," Dr Rita warned.