The stars risking blindness for a fuller face
Top surgeon warns celebrities risk losing their eyesight as a result of fillers Women can become addicted and use far too much Fillers are unregulated, meaning they can be administered by anyone and even ordered online
With an estimated W 1.5million women now having fillers pumped into their faces, it’s believed to be the fastest-growing cosmetic trend in the UK. And the rise is partly down to the number of famous faces openly getting the treatment – yet experts warn that celebs are irresponsibly fuelling a dangerous craze, which could even lead to blindness.
The likes of Geordie Shore stars Charlotte Crosby, 28, Abbie Holborn, 20, and Chloe Ferry, 23 – who was criticised by cosmetic experts for attempting to inject herself with fillers during a Snapchat video last year – have admitted to “loving fillers”. While TOWIE’S Lauren Goodger, 32, was forced to have hers removed following a botched job (although there has been speculation that she’s since had the fillers put back in again).
Dr Mary O’brien, Vice President at The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), tells Closer that the “significant increase in procedures over recent years” has been encouraged by celebrity culture and social media.
“It’s vital to note that the fillers industry is unregulated, meaning they’re often being bought over the internet and injected by individuals with no medical background,” reveals Dr O’brien.
What’s most concerning is that while these celebrities’ habits are encouraging their fans to follow suit, they haven’t been educated on the dangers of the easily accessible fillers.
Top surgeon Mark Ho-asjoe lambasts celebs’ careless attitude towards the procedure, which can have serious repercussions. He says, “If the filler is accidentally injected into a blood vessel, the skin in that area can die. More worryingly, if it’s injected close to the eye area, it can cause blindness as the filler goes into the blood vessel needed for vision. Every time you have filler, there is the risk of it going into the eye area. But if you’re an experienced professional, you are aware of the different nerves around the face and it’s less likely to happen – although you could still be unlucky.”
Mary at BAAPS echoes his fears. She adds, “Complications include skin disease, permanent scarring, blindness and tissue loss. At BAAPS, we’re very concerned that irresponsible marketing of fillers is targeting vulnerable individuals.”
In November, reality star Lauren had filler injected into her jaw by a friend with no medical qualifications. The botched DIY job resulted in an “awful” shaped jaw. Lauren said, “It was stupid of me, but she [my friend] was like, ‘ Trust me, if I do this for you, you’ll love it…’ And I was like, ‘OK.’ It was a new thing that had come out and everyone was doing it and I was told I’d really like it. So I was like, ‘Go on, then,’ thinking it was going to be a minor thing... Awful.”
Luckily, Lauren, 32, was able
to have her botched injections drained out by a professional, but she’s rumoured to have had the procedure again. And sadly, even a mishap is unlikely to stop people revisiting them in future, as Mark explains why fillers are so addictive, despite the risks.
Mark says, “These girls may have initially opted for fillers to give them natural ‘tweaks’, but fillers come in 1 millilitre shots and they probably think, ‘We’re paying for it so we want to use it all.’ That’s probably too much filler for most people, but once you get used to it, you forget what you looked like before. It’s extremely addictive.”
Last year, 83 per cent of fillers were administered by nonmedics and resulted in thousands of complaints. Now fed-up GPS, surgeons and campaign groups such as Save Face are calling on the government for tighter regulations.