by A mother was left with painful, unsightly abscesses after receiving injections from an audiologist she had not previously visited. Samantha, who lives in Cheshire, has regular cosmetic treatments but said she has never had any negative side effects before.
It is thought that the needle was dirty or the area was not cleaned properly. She was left with huge gashes on her leg that were not only painful but embarrassing. “I first had a filler about 10 years ago,” said Samantha.
“The first time a friend talked me straight into it. I didn’t think about it at the time; it was spontaneous. A lot of my friends have fillers – it’s quite normal.
“For this procedure in August, I went to someone new with my friend. I had filler around my chin and asked her to do my fine lines too. It was very spontaneous. I thought it would be an easy procedure. I’ve had filler probably three times before and never had any problems.
“She put numbing cream on it and started injecting the filler. It probably took about 15 minutes. I felt it was very painful which was not normal. My friend even said ‘I can see you’re in trouble’.”
Samantha was worried, but the esthetician reassured her, saying she only needed to apply a cold compress. Samantha was due to go to a close friend’s wedding in Spain but she didn’t want to go because of the appearance of the giants that were now developing on her chin.
“It was very red at first – she kept saying ‘it’ll be fine, put a cold compress on it and stop taking your aspirin’,” said Samantha. “The redness turned into huge blisters and boils around my chin, and they were full of cysts. I was embarrassed on the plane – I didn’t want to go, and I didn’t leave the hotel when we got there. I didn’t go to the wedding.
“The esthetician said it would shrink. It never seemed to get better. I went to the doctors, and they put me on antibiotics. It’s now seven weeks later, and I still have scabies.”
When Samantha came back from Spain, she decided to visit Dr. Ed Robinson, a cosmetic aesthetic doctor who specializes in non-surgical approaches for men and women. “I saw Dr. Ed for the first time the day after I got back from Spain,” Samantha said. “He was amazing, he knew what to do straight away and it was a lifesaver.
“He’s dissolving the abscesses and has put me on different antibiotics for acne now. I didn’t expect any side effects or complications. This experience has definitely put me off getting any procedures in the future.
“Dr Ed told me that even if I wanted to, I can’t do any procedure for at least a year. The infection was so bad that it can easily come back. Dr. Ed believes it could be a dirty needle, not cleaning the face properly, or using the wrong filler.
“The esthetician was not a doctor; she was some kind of scientist. She had a room in the back of a hair salon where she does all her procedures. She has her own training college and seems very qualified.
“These procedures are not really worth it, you have to go to someone who is qualified, like a doctor or a nurse. It’s embarrassing when this happens because you did it yourself – you put yourself in that position. I feel completely embarrassed walking around the streets.
“I’d rather have my fine lines than this. I don’t know anyone else who has had negative side effects from these procedures. All my friends have had a cosmetic procedure, and most of their daughters who are much younger and in their 20s have had something done.”
Dr. Ed has almost finished treating Samantha with a course of antibiotics and will continue to treat the scarring left on her face. “In her case, she was lucky,” the doctor said. “Because of the extent of the infection, I think this was caused by a contaminated filler or needle, or the skin was not cleaned before the injection.
“The lack of regulation in the UK aesthetics industry has allowed clinics that do not perform these procedures to the exacting standard required for safe patient care to thrive. This patient received substandard care and an avoidable complication.
“She also received inappropriate medical advice – a non-medical person advised her to stop taking aspirin for her clotting disorder. Clinics often attract seemingly safe patients due to their marketing and social media following.
“The prices charged by these clinics are very low and reflect the use of poor quality products that are not often found in pharmacies. These low prices can be very attractive to patients but unfortunately you buy cheap you buy twice, and you may spend a lot more on correction.
“We are seeing a dramatic increase in complications involving fillers as deceptive practitioners who are in their non-medical right to profit from their patients. Urgent government regulation is needed to protect patients and the NHS, which must get more complications from aesthetics.”
