A BRITISH woman who almost had to have her lips surgically removed has warned of the dangers of lip filler deals abroad.
Dermal fillers have become increasingly popular in the UK with women of all ages throwing caution to the wind and queueing up for cheap treatments.
Last month, Express.co.uk revealed industry professionals are pleading with the Government to bring in regulation since the law currently allows unqualified beauticians to inject members of the public without so much as a day of training.
Now, it has been revealed Brits are taking even BIGGER gambles abroad by letting foreign ‘doctors’ administer lip plumping injections in a bid to look like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.
One woman who was days away from being permanently disfigured has issued a warning to others to avoid thing the risk which could have cost her her lips.
Jane was on holiday in Dubai and saw an advert for lip fillers she went along and was treated by someone she believed at the time was an experienced cosmetic doctor.
The treatment was offered for around £400, which compared to some £99 deals in the UK did not seem suspiciously cheap.
But days later her lips began to burn with pain and started to turn black.
She rushed back to the clinic where the doctor advised her it was entirely normal and will self-resolve within a week.
Still worried about her lips Jane called a doctor friend in the UK who asked her to send pictures of the damage.
Her friend immediately recognised Jane’s lips were in the early stages of in Ischemia, which meant blood was unable to reach her lips, and she was developing necrosis, or the death of body tissue.
Realising her friend was in danger her friend began to call experts in the UK.
Dr Bob Khanna, a Professor of Facial Aesthetics was shown the pictures and told colleagues they were in a race against time to try and save Jane from being permanently disfigured.
Dr Khanna then made contact with several doctors in the country of question to see who was available to carry out remedial treatment under his precise guidance and treatment protocol.
Jane had to endure several sessions of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, a dissolving agent used in a very specific way and steroid treatment.
She said:
“It’s terrifying to think that If it had not been for Dr Khanna’s intervention, the necrosis could have cost me my lips.
“I could have been permanently disfigured.
“It seemed like such a straight forward procedure, I was not made aware of any possible complications, let alone given any reassurance that any complications would be appropriately managed. Even when I went back to the clinic after lips started turning black he advised me that it was entirely normal and will self-resolve within a week.
“With hindsight, I should have done more research and I should have asked more questions about the products being used and the experience of the practitioner.”
The 28-year-old has urged anyone who may be considering the treatment to check approval registers in the UK which give the details of medical professionals willing to carry out the treatment after it cost £2,000 to repair the damage done to her.
Save Face the non-surgical cosmetic treatment industry watchdog has a growing list of properly trained and qualified practitioners.
The list was started after practitioners began seeing a huge stream of girls with complications arrive at their surgeries.
Director Ashton Collins has been calling for more strict Government action in the industry, including raising the legal age for people seeking such treatments.
Save Face, has seen "explosive growth" in the filler market and a surge of people coming to them for help.
Women are often being pulled in by competitive pricing - even if it means sharing needles with a stranger.
She said:
“I think Jane’s experience will really resonate with young women who wrongly assume that lip fillers and other non-surgical cosmetic treatments are relatively risk free and are just an extension of other beauty treatments, they are the most likely audience to fall in to the wrong hands as they are targeted by untrained and unethical practitioners who entice them through their doors with unrealistic promises and cut price treatments.”
“The Save Face register is critical in order to prevent consumers from falling in to the wrong hands, to educate them to carefully consider the qualifications and experience of the practitioner rather than choosing a clinic based on the cost of the treatment.
“We want to highlight the risks and consequences that can occur in the hands of these unscrupulous providers.”