Lip jabs addict is scarred for life

Lauren Smalley, 30, was left disfigured and traumatised by plastic chemicals. She endured hours of painful treatments and surgery to remove Bio-Alcamid from her face after it was used to provide her with permanently plumped lips. And she suffered cruel sexual jibes because of its effect. But her obsession nearly ended on her deathbed when the Bio-Alcamid formed tiny tumours called granulomas in her face. The infection which followed caused her to be hospitalised with suspected septicaemia — and a surgeon had to remove the product from her top lip. Now the financial researcher faces years of expensive and painful treatments to reconstruct her disfigured lip. Lauren, of Bristol, said: “Bio-Alcamid has left me dreadfully scarred and I feel deformed now. I’d like to tell anyone who is considering using lip fillers to be careful.” Lauren’s problems started at age 12. She said: “I began to hate the way I looked.” Within a few years, she began having regular injections of lip fillers Perlane and Restylane at a Harley Street clinic in London. Soon she was going on a monthly basis, spending around £250-£300 a time. She said: “I began looking for a permanent filler to reduce my number of visits to London and came across Bio-Alcamid.” Lauren has since had six fat grafts to reconstruct her damaged top lip. She added: “I am relieved the infection has gone, but I’m angry at the unscrupulous nurses and clinicians for not identifying that I had a problem.”