A mum's 'cheap' £35 birthday treat lip fillers turned into a nightmare when she developed a 'golf ball-sized lump' – that has left her with a 'lopsided' lip.
Bethany Dowsey had one millilitre of filler injected into her lips on Wednesday 26 October – the day after her birthday – after deciding to treat herself with her birthday money.
The 25-year-old says it was the first time she had ever got lip filler done and so she thought that the immediate pain and swelling were 'normal'.
But as hours went by she claims a lump on the left side of her top lip grew and became increasingly painful before urgent care doctors revealed that she had suffered a haematoma.
Despite the practitioner saying it was just 'normal swelling', this pooling of blood outside the blood vessels and resulting firm mass can be damaging if allowed to progress.
The stay-at-home mum has now shared shocking photos of her lumpy, bruised lips to urge people to thoroughly research aesthetic practitioners before getting fillers.
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Bethany, from Bishop Auckland, Durham, said: "I got my lips done for my birthday – that was my present off my mum and nanna.
"I'm a mum with two kids so usually I can't afford to try lip filler and things like that so when I found the offer for £35 I thought 'oh my god that's amazing, I'll try it' but it ruined my birthday.
"My friend had been to the woman [for lip filler] and nothing had happened to them so I thought she must be alright and legit.
"I went in with my friend – it was a house. She took me in a little square box room in the back and put the numbing cream on.
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"It hurt when she did it and my lips were tingling but I thought it was normal because obviously I've never had them done before so I didn't know what it felt like.
"I looked at my lips in the bathroom and they seemed okay at the time so I handed the money over.
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"I walked out the house but I wasn't one hundred per cent satisfied – I thought 'what have I done?'.
"I could feel the lump then but I just thought I was panicking or overreacting because it was the first time I'd had it done – I thought 'just wait a bit, it will be swelling'.
"As the night went on it was getting worse and worse. It was like a golf ball.
"I panicked and was like 'right I need to get to A&E'. A&E sent me to urgent care and urgent care said it was a haematoma."
The mum of two claims doctors at the University Hospital of North Durham urgent care informed her that she had suffered a haematoma, despite the practitioner insisting it was just a bruise and swelling.
A haematoma is a blood clot that forms as a result of blood escaping from the blood vessel – in this case, doctors believed it was due to trauma caused by the filler injections.
As in Bethany's case, this can cause a firm mass to appear below the skin which, if allowed to progress without treatment, can cause damage to the surrounding tissue, nerves and vessels.
I don't think I'll ever get my lips done again. It's put me off for life.
Doctors told Bethany to take painkillers and use a cold compress to soothe her damaged lips overnight before returning for a follow-up appointment with a plastic surgeon the following day.
Thankfully, 48 hours later, the lump began to go down and she didn't need any plastic surgery to fix her lip.
Bethany said: "I was sending her multiple videos and photos and she was saying 'it's a bruise, just wait'.
"I had a few people message me saying to try a warm compress to get the blood flowing again to the lip and I tried that as well and now it's started to sort of go down.
"It was like a golf ball but now it's just bigger than a pea. It's still all bruised."
The stay-at-home mum says she has been left with a 'lopsided' lip and vows never to get fillers again.
She now hopes to warn others considering filler to 'do their research' and avoid 'cheap fillers' after her scary experience.
Bethany said: "You can still tell there's a ball on the left-hand side, they're a bit lopsided, but it's better than what it was.
"I'm angry and gutted about it because it's my first experience getting it done and I don't think I'll ever get my lips done again. It's put me off for life.
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"Do research and make sure that they're licensed and insured – if it's cheap it's nasty."
The aesthetics practitioner was contacted for comment.
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