Woman who had lip fillers reveals how treatment left her with nightmare ‘trout pout’ for THREE YEARS

A woman who had lip fillers as a ‘little pick-me-up’, ahead of her 50th birthday, has revealed how the procedure led to a three year ‘trout pout’ nightmare.

Kay Smith, 53, from Darvel, East Ayrshire, had the procedure as a ‘confidence boost’ before her big birthday, but was left devastated when she had a bad reaction to the filler.

Her lips swelled, leaving her with a permanent ‘trout pout’, which became worse when the filler expanded with rising temperatures, causing her lips to get even bigger on holiday. 

After three years, she had the rogue filler dissolved and corrected by Dr Judy Todd, leaving her with a plump but natural pout.    

She went on to have the rogue filler dissolved and corrected with Hyalase ( after)

Kay Smith, 53, from Darvel, East Ayrshire, was left with a permanent trout pout for three years after having a bad reaction to lip fillers (left, before). She went on to have the rogue filler dissolved and corrected with Hyalase (right, after) 

Kay called the ordeal ‘a total nightmare’, saying: ‘Like a lot of women in middle-age, I had lost a bit of volume in my lips and I thought I would look better with some filler to plump them up.’ 

She explained: ‘It was just a little pick-me-up to boost my body confidence for a few months as a 50th birthday present.

‘Unfortunately my body reacted against the strain of filler used in my lips and they swelled up.’

Kay continued: ‘Over time, they did get smaller but then they would swell up again when the air temperature rose.

Kay had hoped the lip filler would give her a little 'confidence boost' before she turned 50, but instead the fillers turned into a nightmare

Kay had hoped the lip filler would give her a little ‘confidence boost’ before she turned 50, but instead the fillers turned into a nightmare 

‘I remember being on holiday with my daughter in Mallorca and she looked at my face and said: “Mum, have you had your lips done again?”‘

How to get safe lip fillers

1. As per NHS England advice ensure your practitioner is a registered medical professional

2. Ensure treatment is within a clean clinical environment such as a clinic

3. Check you practitioner had the appropriate insurance and is experienced at the procedure and treating complications

4. Always ensure you have a follow up appointment available to you as part of your treatment

5. Adhere to aftercare and ensure you have emergency contacts for your practitioner 

‘I realised that I was always going to have this problem if I did not get some expert help.’

Kay consulted Dr Judy Todd, an expert in aesethetic medicine in Scotland, who runs Synergy Clinic in Glasgow.  

Dr Todd injected Kay’s lips with Hyalase – a solution which dissolves the filler and returned the lips to normal.

She then injected Kay with the premium lip filler RHA Kiss by Teoxane, which she didn’t react badly to – they just rehydrating her lips more naturally and adding a little volume.

Kay said: ‘My lips went down immediately after the Hyalase. It was like watching a tyre deflate. 

‘Dr Todd then plumped up my lips nicely with some excellent filler and I had really natural looking younger lips.

‘I only wish I had gone to see Dr Todd earlier because she sorted out the problem overnight.

Kay's lips would swell up in the heat while she was on holiday, leaving her feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable (pictured in Mallorca, with swollen lips)

Kay’s lips would swell up in the heat while she was on holiday, leaving her feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable (pictured in Mallorca, with swollen lips) 

Kay suggested it hadn’t put her off having cosmetic procedures, saying: ‘I was just unlucky with my first treatment. I went to a reputable practitioner but my body reacted badly.

‘That can happen in a tiny percentage of cases and I was just one of the unfortunate ones.

‘What I had not prepared for was that the problem would continue for three years because of the impact warm weather had on my lips.’

Kay has not been put off having other anti-ageing treatments but warned others to be wary of where they had procedures done.

Even when she returned home after her holidays, Kay's lips would remain swollen, taking weeks to settle back to a more normal look (pictured, after her holiday)

Even when she returned home after her holidays, Kay’s lips would remain swollen, taking weeks to settle back to a more normal look (pictured, after her holiday) 

She said: ‘You need to be very careful about your choice of clinic. No one should be doing injectables such as filler and Botox unless they are a trained doctor. 

‘Far fewer cases like mine would happen if the industry was better regulated.’

Dr Todd called for much tougher regulation of all clinics offering injectable anti-ageing treatments such as filler and Botox.

She said: ‘Unfortunately there are a lot of cowboys out there. People set up clinics with no medical background and start injecting people after one day’s training. It is no wonder that some people end up with swollen lips.

Now Kay has said she is keen to see the industry better regulated, and suggested nobody should be able to give injections unless they're a doctor

Now Kay has said she is keen to see the industry better regulated, and suggested nobody should be able to give injections unless they’re a doctor 

After the lip filler was dissolved, Kay had some more filler added to give her a naturally enhanced pout

After the lip filler was dissolved, Kay had some more filler added to give her a naturally enhanced pout 

‘You would not see a doctor who was not properly trained, yet thousands of people take risks with their health by getting aesethetic treatments from people who are completely unqualified.’

Dr Todd said that she often does ‘repair work’ on women whose filler treatments have gone wrong.

She said: ‘There are fairly simple remedies if the filler is not permanent and I was delighted that I was able to sort out Kay’s case so quickly.

Dr Todd was able to dissolve Kay's lip filler with an injection of Hyalase, leaving her with a more natural looking pout

Dr Todd was able to dissolve Kay’s lip filler with an injection of Hyalase, leaving her with a more natural looking pout 

‘Lots of women come to me after their appearance has been ruined by cowboy practitioners. They know that, as a doctor, I have the expertise to put things right and I will not cut any corners on safety.’

Dr Todd said that 4 per cent of the adult population have undergone a private cosmetic treatment.

She said: ‘The industry is booming in part because many people are aspiring to the beauty standards set by TV programmes such as Love Island and Towie, which set unrealistic images of beauty.

‘Millennials are making alterations to their body to mirror those on screen.

‘As a consequence, a number of unscrupulous and under-qualified clinics are popping up offering cut-price treatments that compromise patient safety, lead to poor results and take advantage of patent’s naivety to legal healthcare standards.’ 

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