Girl's lips swollen, almost necrotic due to filler injection

Rachael Knappier, 29 years old, living in Leicestershire, England, almost lost her lips after getting filler injections (a compound made from Hyaluronic Acid) at the home of a former beauty salon employee late last year.

Initially, Rachael only intended to inject Botox into her forehead to reduce wrinkles. However, Rachael had a small lump on her lip due to an impact when she was 13 years old, so she listened to the staff and injected fillers to make her face more attractive.

Back home, Rachael began to notice unusual symptoms. By evening, her lips had lost sensation and were swollen. Rachael was alarmed and video called the beautician, who instructed her to apply ice and take antibiotics. However, Rachael's lips did not show any positive changes, so she decided to go to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed her with an allergy and assured her that she was no longer in a critical condition, then advised her to return to the place where she had her lip injections to get a filler dissolving injection.

Finally, after consulting with her family, Rachael went to a clinic in London to get filler injections, and her lips returned to their normal size after about 72 hours. However, for 7 consecutive days, Rachael felt nauseous and had tremors. It took 3 months for her to fully recover. Medical staff at the London clinic believed that the filler had been injected into the artery in her lips, causing a blood clot, which could have led to necrosis if not treated promptly.

After her traumatic experience, Rachael actively participated in campaigns calling for safe cosmetic procedures by choosing reputable places with services performed by highly qualified and professional doctors, dentists and nurses. Rachael also proposed that the country's filler manufacturing industry needs to be more strictly managed to avoid cases of 'losing money and getting sick' like hers.