A 29-year-old mother from Wythenshawe, England was mortified to discover the lip filler treatment she underwent had left her with an unrecognisable pair of "sausage lips".

Christina Burton had made the decision to get her lips done via an at-home procedure costing £75 ($100), unfortunately, the outcome was so extreme that it apparently made her friend physically sick at the mere sight of Burton's new lips.

According to the Greater Manchester native, her lips began swelling after numbing cream was applied to them before the treatment. The beautician, however, assured Burton that there was nothing to worry about.

Evidently, there was a great deal to worry about - she had experienced a very dangerous allergic reaction to the lip filler. Her throat had started to close up and she had difficulties breathing.

In fact, just a few hours after the procedure, the 29-year-old had no choice but to call the emergency services when her lips continued to balloon in size.

When the ambulance arrived, Burton was rushed to the hospital.

"They had to give me a cannula straight away and two lots of adrenaline," she recalled. "That’s when it scared me. It’s a good job I didn’t go to sleep which is what I was planning to do, I worry I might not have woken up."

At the hospital, Burton was administered steroids, adrenaline, and oxygen in a bid to alleviate the excruciating pain.

"The hospital nurses couldn’t believe how badly swollen my lips and the skin between my nose and lips were," she added. "The pain felt like they were going to explode, it felt like when something has its own pulse."

"I couldn’t open my mouth because my lips were that heavy, it was scary. I’m scared to death of hospitals. Last time I was in that ward my gran passed away and I was in the same room where she was, it was just horrible."

Doctors decided it was safe to discharge Burton the following evening and the mother was sent home with a course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and steroids.

After the nightmare ordeal, she showed her friends and family pictures of her "duck gone wrong" lips and they initially thought the look was achieved through a silly filter.

Imagine their immense shock when they learned that the pictures were completely real.

"Everyone thought it was a Snapchat filter, I even FaceTimed my cousin who laughed at first because I looked like a duck. I couldn’t even talk it was that bad," Burton continued. "I won’t get fillers again. I’ve been tempted to get them done again but I’m just scared. I’ve gone to book it and canceled it because the thought of going through that again?"

I just can’t, it’s not worth it. It could have killed me, who would explain that to my kids? I’m sharing my story in the hope that people are aware that allergic reactions can and do happen to anyone.

I would say to anyone thinking of getting a filter to make sure it’s with someone who’s fully qualified and has had proper training, you know what products they’re using and they’re insured.

A teenager claims she was left hospitalized for days, after a lip filler debacle left her with deformed lips that oozed green pus.

Taking to Facebook to share some gruesome pictures of her swollen lips, Lauren Jade Winstanley (who hails from Wigan in England) paid a salon £170 on October 2 to have 1.5ml of filler injected into them.

But rather than making them lush and plump, she contracted an infection due to the unhygienic equipment used on her

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According to a report by British tabloid newspaper The Mirror, Lauren was initially told that the swelling was a result of an allergic reaction, and was given antihistamines.

But when things got more and more painful for her, she was rushed to Whiston Hospital in Rainhill in Merseyside, where doctors had to drain the pus from her mouth and give her antibiotics instead.

On Facebook, Lauren wrote" "I'm doing this review to prevent this from happening to someone else, alls i can say is that [I've learned] my lesson from this and would [advise] anyone thinking to having fillers please do your research and go to a highly qualified practitioner not a beautician. [sic]"

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She continued: "After being rushed to hospital when my face neck and airwaves swelled i was given oxygen, morphine for the pain and fever, antibiotic and fluids through a drip I was sick and couldn't eat or talk I was in that much pain i was put to sleep for surgery to remove the infected filler and flush the infection out leaving my lips deformed and uneven i was in agony and was only discharged a week later. [sic]"

"I then went to see a dermal nurse to examine my lips she then told me it was a vascular [occlusion] which she injected into a blood vessel causing a blockage in my lip, she said i was very lucky and if id left it any longer I could have had my lips reconstructed. [sic]"

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She added: "6 weeks later iv lost all feeling in my left side of my bottom lip which makes me feel [agitated] because it feels bigger than what it really is, I wouldn't wish this on anyone, my family and friends have been so supportive and kept me strong through this awful experience, u never think its gonna happen until it does to yourself now i have to live with the trauma of the whole experience. [sic]"

This teenager influencer was recently forced to have a doctor confirm that her butt is not the result of implants: 

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If you or anyone else you know is considering cosmetic surgery, then please make sure you're dealing with a qualified professional, and never attempt any cosmetic treatment without first consulting a doctor.

Regardless of the many successful plastic surgery procedures that have taken place, there are always risks - especially when you're not dealing with medical professionals. Unfortunately for Rachael Knappier, from Leicestershire, England, she ended up going through a traumatic ordeal when she tried to have lip filler injected.

The 29-year-old was at a party when she had filler injected into her lips, leading to them swelling up so much they touched her nose. Knappier "shouted in pain" after she was given the treatment, by a beautician at her friend's house.

Thankfully, she made it to the emergency room, but later had to turn to private treatment to return her lips to their former size. Now, she's warning others against having lip fillers from someone who isn't medically trained.

Initially, Rachael only agreed to having Botox on her forehead, but after the beautician noticed a lump on her lip (an injury from when she was 13) she was quickly convinced to have some filler.

"That lump is my number one insecurity," she told the BBC. "As she pointed it out, I was just drawn in."

When she got home, she felt unwell so went to bed. Later that night, she woke up and found that she couldn't feel her lip. "My lips were a size I had not seen before," she said, so contacted the beautician on FaceTime. On the other side of the phone, she was apparently "gasping and holding her hand over her mouth" as she realised what was happening.

"She told me to put an ice pack on and take an antihistamine but my lips were growing," she said. "Then she kept repeatedly shouting, 'get to A&E'."

When she got to the emergency room, doctors explained that while the NHS would check to see if she was in any immediate danger, they would not dissolve lip filler - so she had to turn to private care. For the next week, she didn't leave the house, and was apparently vomiting and shaking

Eventually, Rachael visited a Consultant Clinic in London, where they finally dissolves the filler. 72 hours later, her lips were back to normal - but she still felt shaken by what had happened.

"It's left me traumatised. I would not wish it on my worst enemy," she said.

According to Dr Natalie Boyd, who hails from this clinic, Knappier likely suffered a vascular occlusion. This may have happened because the filler was injected "into or around an artery or vein, which then causes a vicious cycle of swelling and compression".

Since the events, Rachael has started a petition calling for aesthetic medical treatments to only be performed by professionals such as doctors, nurses and dentists, as well as calling for better regulation in the industry. Dr Marc Pacifico, a consultant plastic surgeon from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said that dermal fillers are a "complete wild west in the UK".

"We are one of the few western countries who regard [fillers] as a device not a medicine," he said. "There have even been cases of blindness. It was really about time stronger regulation was brought in."

While Rachael clearly went through a horrible time, hopefully some good comes out of her experience, if her petition manages to make changes to attitudes and industry regulations.

A woman has taken to social media to share a warning with others after winning free lip fillers.

The allure of lip fillers - an increasingly popular cosmetic procedure - has been a hot topic on social media. As reported by Glamour, the demand for this non-invasive beauty treatment has surged, mainly due to its affordability, simplicity, and temporary nature.

Typically, the procedure involves injecting hyaluronic acid into the lips to enhance volume and create a fuller effect.

However, Jessica Burko's recent experience serves as a cautionary tale. Known on TikTok under the handle @jessicacaileyburko, the Los Angeles-based influencer shared her distressing ordeal, describing it as a "cosmetic nightmare."

Despite having undergone lip filler treatments six times before without issues, Burko's latest encounter - which she won as part of a Halloween giveaway - took an unexpected turn. Check out her video below: 

Immediately after the procedure, Burko noticed an unusual swelling in her lips. Concerned, she returned to her doctor, who administered a steroid injection. However, her condition worsened, with her lips continuing to swell significantly over the next few hours.

In a candid video, Burko warned her followers about the risks of free cosmetic treatments. "It was a free giveaway that I won, it was for Halloween," she explained. "He certainly had me looking very scary. I would never go back."

Despite the traumatic experience, Burko maintains a positive outlook on lip fillers. "Never do free cosmetics. But also don’t be scared to get your lips done," she advised. "I love getting them done, and I will be back to my regular girl."

Further revealing the severity of the incident, Burko mentioned that the doctor performing the procedure had "hit an artery," leading to the excessive swelling.

The following day, she revisited the clinic to have the fillers dissolved, thankfully restoring her face to its normal state.

After her video was viewed more than 10.1 million times on the platform, many commenters emphasized with Jessica's her natural beauty, suggesting that she didn't need fillers in the first place.

"You're so pretty without all that. Leave yourself alone. Nothing can compare to your natural beauty," one TikTok user commented.

Others took Jessica's video as a stark warning, with another person writing: "This was a sign to leave my lips alone."

One celebrity who has spoken out against fillers is Friends star Courteney Cox.

Last year, the 60-year-old actress discussed her skincare routine and perspective on aging during an episode of the Gloss Angeles Beauty Podcast.

When the co-hosts Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan asked the actress to name and explain her biggest beauty regret, Cox quickly said that it was fillers.

She said getting the initial treatment created a "domino effect" that compelled her to get more, explaining: "You don’t realize that you look a little off, so then you keep doing more, 'cause you look normal to yourself," as cited by Huffington Post.

The Scream actress stated that she wasn’t aware of how she looked with the fillers in, saying: "You look in the mirror and go, 'That looks good.' You think and you don’t realize what it looks like to the outside person."

Looking back now, Cox shared that she mourns "just doing too many fillers and having them removed," and is thankful that she was able to get them dissolved from her face.

Featured image credit: Elena Fedorina/Getty

Lip fillers have become increasingly popular over the last several years.

The problem is that these procedures can often be pretty pricy, and end up costing a fair amount. Still, you get what you pay for, and saving your money by going for a slightly cheaper alternative could have disastrous results in the long term.

If you don't believe me, then just look at what happened in Arizona this month, after a number of women were left with horrific lip infections, which left them with cracked, oozing sores and swollen, painful mouths after botched fillers.

According to a recent report by Fox 10 Phoenix, at least seven unfortunate women have been left in pain after making several separate appointments on August 3 at the house of a woman in Maricopa who was charging $80 for fillers - a mere ten percent of the standard price ($620). Within hours of receiving their injections, the customers were left with aching and pus-filled lips, and were quickly rushed to the ER.

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Talking to Fox 10 Phoenix in a recent interview, unfortunate patient Alexandra Garaventa stated: "'It was cheaper - that's not the smartest thing - but since I had seen so many people and my friend had been going for a year. She was telling people that she was certified to do lip injections and since I [had] seen other people's [lips], I had decided why not go. Right after I left getting my lips done, an hour later, my lips got huge."

Taking to Facebook, Garaventa later shared a number of pictures of her humungous lips and warned her various followers about the dangers inherent in paying less money for lip fillers from an unlicensed practitioner. Her posts managed to accrue a number of comments from shocked social media users.

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Garaventa later posted an emotional status, in which she thanked the general public for their support. She wrote: "I would just like to take the time to say thank you to everyone who has reached out and shown nothing but love && support since our story dropped online and on the news. [sic]"

She continued: "I understand in a situation like this everybody is going to have their own opinion whether it’s good/bad, or negative/positive. But with the amount of love, support, and prayers I have received it pretty much cancels out all the hate that I’ve been reading. [sic]"

She added: "Although, not everyone has the same point of view. I pray that everyone involved has a quick recovery, we are all such beautiful women and did not deserve to have this happen to us. Again, thank you to all that have been sympathetic and sensitive regarding the whole situation. [sic]"

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The majority of lip fillers contain a substance primarily composed of a natural substance known as hyaluronic acid. This acid is mixed with sugar molecules to attract moisture to the lips and make them fuller. However, our mouths produce an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which dissolves hyaluronic acid - which is why injections are required regularly. Injections performed using dirty equipment can inevitably lead to infection.

The Maricopa Police department is currently investigating the spate of botched filler procedures, but so far no arrests have been made.

A woman has taken to social media to offer a warning to others when it comes to cosmetic procedures.

There's no denying that the popularity of lip fillers has exploded in recent years - with Glamour reporting that the beauty procedure is now more popular than ever before.

Most of the time, the non-invasive procedure is pretty safe, and involves trained clinicians injecting a specific area - such as lips - in order to increase the volume and create a fuller, plumper effect. And very often, the filler is made of hyaluronic acid, which is found naturally in the skin.

Their popularity is down to factors such as fillers being relatively cheap, simple, and temporary.

However, one 27-year-old influencer has now shared a warning with her followers after she claimed a free lip filler procedure that she won in celebration of Halloween.

Jessica Burko - who uses the handle @jessicacaileyburko on TikTok - described her ordeal as a "cosmetic nightmare", despite the fact that the Los Angeles resident has gotten lip fillers at least six times prior, with no negative side effects.

In one video, she explained that it had been roughly a year since her last fillers, and after winning the free giveaway, she happily claimed the free injections.

Per news.com.au, Jessica says the doctor "did everything he was supposed to do", but immediately after receiving the injections, she started to notice just how swollen her lips were becoming.

When she returned to the car for a proper look, she immediately turned around and told the doctor that something was wrong. This led to the doctor giving her a steroid injection - but things only got worse.

Over the next few hours, Jessica's lips continued to swell.

The next day, she returned to the clinic and had the fillers dissolved, which fortunately resulted in her face returning to normal.

Following her traumatic experience, she is now warning others against freebies.

"It was a free giveaway that I won, it was for Halloween," she said in one clip. "He certainly had me looking very scary. I would never go back."

"Never do free cosmetics. But also don’t be scared to get your lips done," she told her followers. "I love getting them done, and I will be back to my regular girl."

She has since revealed that she was informed that the doctor carrying out the procedure "hit an artery".

Fortunately, people in the comments section were sympathetic to Jessica's situation and stressed that she was beautiful enough without having to go for fillers:

Of course, one star who has hit headlines recently for her decision to move away from lip fillers is Blac Chyna.

The 34-year-old model and reality TV star has revealed that she's been "reborn" after being baptized last year - causing her to remove her fillers and choose to go by her birth name.

Then, in separate social media clips, Chyna also discussed her desire to remove her facial fillers. "I Removed all my face fillers, I'm so happy," she wrote alongside the video.

In it, she tells the camera: "I want to dissolve all of it. Back to the baseline. I'm tired of the look, and it's just not flattering. It's not what I look like. It, like, totally changed my face, and I'm just ready to get back to Angela. Blac Chyna's Blac Chyna, and I feel like I've outgrown that. And it's just time for, like, a change."

The process took multiple doctor's visits, with Chyna - who shares a son with rapper Tyga and a daughter with Rob Kardashian - explaining in a second video that getting fillers is "not worth it."

Featured image credit: Ruslan Ruslan / Alamy