When Kelly Rogers, 40, decided she wanted lip fillers in lockdown, she was immediately tempted by offers of cheap treatments.
She found a company called Infinite Beauty Aesthetics Academy, who injected filler into her lips for £85.
But the bargain backfired when Kelly was left so bruised she looked like she had ‘been in a car accident’.
‘I’ve had lip fillers done before and it usually costs around £180 for 1.1ml of filler,’ said Kelly, from Cardiff, Wales, ‘but this was £85.
‘It was so cheap and I saw the name and saw it was an academy so I just thought it would be fine as they train people.’
When Kelly reached out to the company, she was told the aesthetician was ‘fully qualified and insured’ and that she had completed extra Covid-19 training to keep the procedure safe, even when performed at home.
Kelly admits she was confused about the rules and thought that beauty treatments were safe to resume in lockdown.
She agreed to get the fillers done on Saturday, but claims that the treatment she received ended up rupturing an artery – although the salon says the swelling and bruising Kelly saw following treatment was due to an allergic reaction, despite Kelly saying she has had fillers four or five times before.
‘The following morning I woke up and my face looked like I had been in a car accident,’ said Kelly.
‘All the right side of my face looks like I have been drawn on by a Sharpie.
‘I feel really foolish now, I feel so embarrassed.’
Kelly was told by the company that the bruising was a result of a dissolvent used.
She has since sought advice from a cosmetic nurse pracitioner, Jane Laferla, who is a board member on the Welsh Aesthetic and Cosmetic Society.
Jane claims there are signs the filler had been injected into an artery by mistake, and that the dissolvent Kelly was told was used to remove the filler, hyaluronidase, should only be prescribed by doctors.
She added that the filler named in messages, Revolax Deep, is no longer licensed in the UK.
‘We have been challenging the government on this for years and years about putting regulations in place,’ saif Jane. ‘I am so fed up of mothers calling me crying that their daughter has had lip fillers and they have gone completely wrong.’
In response to the claims made by Kelly, Infinite Beauty Aesthetics told WalesOnline: ‘That information is incorrect. We have contacted a solicitor and it is now a legal matter.’
Kelly’s experience is a reminder of just how important it is to do your research before having fillers injected or undergoing any cosmetic treatments.
Only go to accredited professionals for any cosmetic treatments and make sure you have them done in sterile, medical environments rather than in your home.
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