Please note: This article contains images of a medical nature that some may consider graphic.
A woman is warning others about the potential dangers of undergoing cosmetic procedures after botched fillers left her feeling “like a monster”.
Carol Bryan, 54, began to have botox injections around her eyes to reduce the signs of ageing in her thirties.
At first she was happy with the results, so in 2009 she decided to take things a step further and have dermal fillers injected into her face.
But the procedure didn’t go as expected.
”By three months I started to notice my face expanding and contracting,” Bryan told CBS show ‘The Doctors’.
“When I looked in the mirror I was not looking at Carol. My face was blowing up and my forehead began to protrude out like an alien.”
Her forehead became so heavy that it began to affect her ability to see. She was forced to tape her eyes open to be able to walk without bumping into things.
Bryan began to have corrective procedures, but said these left her face looking more disfigured than ever before.
“I didn’t feel comfortable going out in public and I actually secluded myself from all of my friends and family for about three-and-a-half years,” she said.
“I felt like a monster. I wore hats and scarves and sunglasses all the time, hoping I would someday finally be able to look in the mirror again and recognise myself.”
Realising that she needed help, Bryan’s family contacted doctors across the country in the hope that someone would be able to fix the damage caused by the procedures.
To their relief, Dr Reza Jarrahy from UCLA agreed to help and managed to repair some of the damage.
Her appearance on ‘The Doctors’ was the first time Bryan had been out in public without sunglasses for six years.
She thanked Dr Jarrahy for giving her “a new chance at life” and said she was sharing her story to raise awareness of the potential risks of cosmetic procedures.
“I want to make sure this didn’t happen to me in vain,” she said. “So I will work tirelessly not to ever allow this to happen to anyone ever again.”
According to the NHS, “all cosmetic procedures carry some level of risk” and it’s important to choose a practitioner or surgeon who is competent to perform the procedure and has the appropriate insurance.