A woman in Brazil has been left in a wheelchair after a nurse gave her a ‘strange’ cosmetic procedure that took place outside the hospital in a child’s bedroom in the nurse’s home.
Ester Maia Corecha da Silva, 25, went to the nurse’s home for treatments to remove belly fat and cellulite – lumpy, harmless flesh along the thighs, hips, and buttocks.
Though Ms Da Silva initially thought it was odd to have the procedure done in a private home, she trusted the credentials of the nurse, who also claimed to be a beautician.
However, just hours later, the mother-of-one was rushed to the hospital as her buttocks became inflamed and she developed debilitating pain.
A month later, Ms Da Silva is still wheelchair-bound, as she is in too much agony to stand up or walk and says she needs ‘[physical] therapy and treatment so I can walk again to return to my normal life.’
Ester Maia Corecha da Silva, 25, has been left in so much pain from a knock-off cosmetic procedure that she cannot get up from a wheelchair
‘I need physiotherapy and treatment so I can walk again to return to my normal life,’ Ms Da Silva said
Ms Da Silva said she noticed something was off within hours of the procedure.
Later that evening, she told the nurse the ‘products’ used in the procedure were leaking out of her skin.
The skin quickly became severely inflamed, leading to intense pain – prompting Ms Da Silva to go to the hospital.
After arriving at the emergency room, she received imaging of the affected areas and scans revealed cysts and abnormal tissues called nodules that had spread all the way to her coccyx, the small, curved bone at the bottom of the spine.
‘The doctors said this product can migrate. It could even reach my feet,’ she told local media outlets.
Da Silva’s condition is reportedly so severe she is unable to look after her autistic daughter and requires help from her mother, Cristiana Maia.
Ms Maia said: ‘Seeing her [my daughter] in a wheelchair today is very painful.’
It’s unclear exactly what procedure Ms Da Silva had done, but there are several treatments that are not recommended to remove cellulite due to lack of evidence of their efficacy or potential dangers.
Mesotherapy, for example, involves receiving a series of injections in areas with cellulite.
These needles can be filled with anything from hormones and enzymes to caffeine and herbal extracts.
It’s unclear exactly what Ms Da Silva had done, though there are very few approved and effective treatments for cellulite
These are thought to break down the body’s fat cells. However, there are cautions.
‘Because each practitioner uses a unique blend of ingredients, there’s no way to know what — if any — ingredients are effective,’ the American Academy of Dermatology Association states.
Dr Fábio Santiago, a plastic surgeon in Brazil, told local media: ‘Apart from hyaluronic acid, there is no other substance considered safe for volumizing the buttocks.’
Other substances ‘are considered extremely harmful to our body,’ leading to an ‘intense inflammatory reaction’ that can cause severe pain.
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found throughout the body’s connective tissues to keep areas like the eyes and skin hydrated.
Products with hyaluronic acid, such as creams, can improve the appearance of cellulite, but it does not get rid of it entirely.
The police are investigating the case.
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