A YOUNG woman was left "unable to leave the house" after botched plastic surgery caused her lips to bruise and swell.
Rachel Redpath hoped to boost her confidence with lip fillers from the Beautox Clinic in Glasgow - but was left with horrifying results.
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Rachel Redpath's lips ballooned and bruised after she had botched surgeryCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
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The 21-year-old before having the lip fillers that left her 'crying all the way home'Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
The 21-year-old's lips ballooned far beyond the plump look she was going for and she was left crying the whole way home from the surgery.
Rachel, from Bathgate, West Lothian, has since posted a message on Facebook warning others about her terrifying experience at the clinic, which is led by NHS-trained surgeon Imran Inam.
Alongside the emotional post Rachel shared photos of her swollen and bruised lips to warn women off visiting the clinic.
Sales consultant Rachel said: "The thing I want to make sure of is that other girls don't have the experience I had.
"Most people go there to boost their confidence but it's not nice at all.
"I've always been self-conscious of my face. I saw the pictures on Dr Imran's Facebook page and it looked good so I thought I would like it.
"I thought it would be a confidence boost."
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Rachel had hoped for a confidence boost by getting 'natural' fillers - but was left devastated with the resultsCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
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Rachel complained to the clinic's Facebook page after she was left with swollen and bruised lipsCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
Rachel booked her appointment through Facebook and turned up at 2pm on the day - but claims she was left two-and-a-half hours before being seen.
Despite telling the doctor she wanted just 0.5ml of fillers for a "natural", the plastic surgeon did "everything he could to convince [Rachel] to get the 1ml".
She says he insisted she would look "more beautiful with even fuller lips",
She added: "It was almost like a sales pitch. There were all these sly compliments telling me I would see a big difference.
"Immediately afterwards my face just swelled up and he wanted to get me out of the room."
When Rachel saw the results in a mirror she was shocked at how swollen her lips were - especially the top one, which gave her an uneven look.
The 21-year-old burst into tears and was given an ice pack and taken to another room, where she was joined by an assistant with a card reader machine so she could pay up.
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Shockingly the doctor told Rachel her results were 'not concerning' and said it is 'common' to have a reaction like hers before sending the above messageCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
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Rachel took screen grabs of her converastion with Dr Imran Inam of Beautox Clinic in GlasgowCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
When she asked to speak to the doctor again, she says Mr Inam told her that if her lips got any worse he would "jab" her with an epipen.
Rachel said: "There was no aftercare. One of the assistants just followed me with a card reader. My lips just kept getting bigger and bigger."
Shockingly while she was leaving, Rachel says she overheard Mr Inam telling his next patient to have 1ml of fillers instead of 0.5ml - in a similar conversation to the one she had.
Rachel said: "I couldn't face anyone seeing me. I was crying the whole way home in a taxi.
"The next day I had bruises and was deep purple. I had to take time off work. I couldn't eat or drink and couldn't leave the house for three days."
Since sharing her review, Rachel said other women have contacted her with similar stories about lip fillers gone wrong.
Mr Inam has contacted her himself through the Beautox Clinic Facebook page, telling her he is sorry about her experience but adding that reactions like hers were not "uncommon" and are not "concerning".
Rachel said: "I've had so many girls messaging me. Their lips looked very similar to mine. It prompted me to say something. It may have been I had a bad reaction.
"But after finding out other people had the same I thought I didn't want someone else having that experience because it was horrible."
The Beautox Clinic website says Mr Inam is an NHS surgeon with over eight years experience at hospitals across the country.
It says Mr Inam has also undertaken research into treatments for cancer of the oesophagus, funded by Cancer Research UK.
The description adds: "Mr Inam has significant expertise in managing acute surgical conditions as well as independently carrying out elective surgical procedures.
"He is trained to react instinctively when patients need it the most, holding provider status in Advanced Trauma and Life Support, so you can be reassured that you are in good hands."
Reality TV star Chloe Ferry, from Geordie Shore, thanked him for his work in an Instagram post showing off her plumped up lips following a trip to his clinic.
The 21-year-old wrote: "Loving my luscious lips and defined cheeks from NHS surgeon Imran Inam and his gorgeous team…"
A woman who answered the Beautox Clinic's Glasgow phone identified herself as Mr Imran's sister and said the surgeon was in theatre and therefore unavailable.
She said Mr Imran would be taking PR and legal advice but denied any wrong-doing and was "shocked about the situation".
Industry expert Frances Turner Traill, who runs a clinic in Hamilton, near Glasgow, is a board member of the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN).
Mrs Turner Traill said: "I was really sorry to hear and read of Rachel's experience.
"Starting from April next year, every cosmetic clinic will need to be registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and meet a set of safety criteria to be allowed to operate.
"As an industry, we very much hope that more robust and effective regulation in Scotland will improve patient safety and patient care and will make experiences such as Rachel's a thing of the past."
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