Huge rise in botched lip filler ops as ‘teens as young as 14 try to copy Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner’s plump pouts’
Medical negligence lawyers say a desire to emulate the Kardashians and other full-pouted stars has led to unqualified practitioners at back-street clinics offering cut-price deals - for as little as £50
A desire to follow in the footsteps of the Kardashian sisters and other full pouted stars has given rise to a huge number of women opting to have cheap lip filler ops.
And the result, medical negligence lawyers claim, is a sharp rise in the number of botched jobs - some affecting girls as young as 14.
One legal firm has reported double the number of legal claims against back-street clinics, which are offering filler injections for as little as £50.
They say the problem is becoming more widespread due to treatments being advertised by unqualified practitioners on social media sites.
Among those affected is full-time mum Michelle Williams from Liverpool.
The 23-year-old had the procedure after seeing it advertised on Facebook as a two-for-one deal, priced at £55.
"All my mates have had lips done and I just really wanted them done," she said.
"I went to get it done and it was like a back-street salon that was extended out the back of a lady's house.
"I felt pain at first but thought it was normal."
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However, five weeks later Michelle realised something wasn't right.
"The left hand side was a lot more swollen than the right," she said. "They looked ridiculous."
The 23-year-old emailed the woman who had performed the procedure, complaining that the swelling had not gone down.
She said: "A few weeks went by and she stopped replying.
These people are not surgeons, they’re a nurse, a dentist or a general practitioner for their day job, and this evening Matthew I’m going to turn into a plastic surgeon by magic and stick £5,000 worth of filler in this poor patient’s face and expect it to look good
Consultant plastic surgeon, James McDiarmid
"I knew something was wrong. It has ruined my life and totally knocked my confidence.
"I don't think I will ever look right now, and I don't know what the future will bring.
"It's nothing like I expected. I think they just put too much filler in one side and it just looks wonky."
Michelle, who has a four-year-old daughter, Louise, is claiming damages.
She warned others to think twice before trying to emulate plump pouted stars.
"My message would be - just don't do it," she said. "It's not worth it, especially in a back-street salon."
BETTER REGULATION IS VITAL TO CRACKDOWN ON THESE OPS
Experienced consultant plastic surgeon, James McDiarmid, 49, says he regards the UK aesthetic industry as one of the least regulated in the world.
He said: "My opinion and that of my colleagues who are accredited specialist plastic surgeons and members of The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAF) is that we regard the whole aesthetic industry as being completely unregulated and it's something that people with minimal training and no specialist background see as a get rich quick scheme.
"In the UK I think we probably have the least regulated aesthetic industry and I don't know why that is.
"Even in South America and Brazil where you would expect it to be less ethical and less organised, only doctors can do these treatments.
"In France only specialist doctors can do these treatments, but in the UK any Tom, Dick or Harry that goes and pays £500 for a two-hour lunchtime course can call themselves an approved injector and start doing the treatments."
Mr McDiarmid says 'rogue' surgeons are injecting filler into people's faces with very little clue of the underlying anatomy.
"There are lots of people getting training, and I use that extremely loosely, from other people who probably ought not to be doing these treatments," he added.
"They're often putting them in places that are inadvisable, these are people who have very little clue about the underlying anatomy underneath.
"These people are not surgeons, they're a nurse, a dentist or a general practitioner for their day job, and this evening Matthew I'm going to turn into a plastic surgeon by magic and stick £5,000 worth of filler in this poor patient's face and expect it to look good."
Medical claims specialist James Ware, of said Michelle is just one of a number of clients who has contacted them recently about the issue.
"Some carrying out the procedure are not fully qualified," he warned.
"Sometimes though they might say they are, they don't have to show any certificate.
"We have had an enquiry from a girl as young as 16, and I am aware there was even a 14-year-old complaining of it.
"In a lot of cases parents don't know the full extent of what is happening.
"They don't go through big companies, it is just people working from their houses who are not qualified and don't know what they are doing."
Mr Ware said one of the common reasons his clients give for wanting the op is that they want to look like the Kardashians, Kylie Jenner and other stars.
He added: "They are just after the cheapest deal they can get, it's being offered for £90 for two.
"That's less than £50 and often it's being done behind their mother's back.
"It is terrible. It is the latest craze and I think something has to be done about it."