Lip augmentation procedures have always been a popular procedure to get done seeing that they are affordable and less invasive than most cosmetic procedures. In fact, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated that in 2015 “a record number of patients underwent lip augmentation procedures making them the second-fastest growing facial procedure in the United States since 2000.” Now, as appealing as lip injections and fillers might appear, you should know that no matter how quick and easy the procedure might seem, there are always risks associated with getting your body enhanced.
WAPT recently shared one woman’s experience with lip injections and how it went terribly wrong. Here’s 29-year-old Rachael Knappier’s story and why you should be extremely choosy when selecting a physician to perform your lip augmentation procedure if you are considering getting one done or know someone who is.
It was a few months ago when Knappier was invited to attend a friend’s Botox party. Aside from her friends being present at the party, there was also a beautician who was hired to join the women. Given the nature of the party and the fact that there was a beautician there whom Knappier believed was a nurse, she decided to go ahead and give lip injections a try. Although she wasn’t given any consent form to sign prior to having the filler injected, she didn’t think twice about it and allowed the woman to perform the procedure. But here’s where things went wrong.
Instead of the lip filler being injected into her lip tissue which is where it belongs, “the beautician injected filler into an artery, causing her lips to massively swell and cut off circulation to the tissue.” The beautician told Knappier that she “was having an allergic reaction” but rather than wait to find out what would happen, she went to the hospital. Physicians at the hospital informed Knappier that what she was experiencing was not an allergic reaction, rather “that the filler had been administered incorrectly.” And had the 29-year-old left her condition untreated, “it would have led to necrosis, which is the death of the soft tissue of your lip—which is irreversible.”
Knappier Had to Undergo Multiple Emergency Surgeries to Fix the Botched Lip Procedure She Had Done
WAPT shared that Knappier underwent multiple surgeries to fix the error the beautician had made. She explained that not only did she assume the woman was a licensed professional, but that “being at a party with friends took away all the seriousness of having filler injected into [her] face.” The news source highlighted that it took nearly two weeks for the swelling to go down and after about three months, things were back to normal for Knappier. Now, the young woman is sharing her story with various sources to spread awareness on the dangers of allowing “nonmedically qualified people to administer Botox and fillers.”
Now, although Knappier had the procedure done in the U.K. where the industry is unregulated, you need to be aware that physicians here in the U.S. who are licensed to perform general surgery are also able to perform certain types of cosmetic procedures. This means that even though they don’t have the experience or training that a cosmetic surgeon should have, they can still offer you these services. Therefore, before you commit to any one physician and allow them to perform your lip augmentation or any other type of cosmetic procedure, confirm that they are, in fact, board certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.
In the event you recently underwent surgery or had a cosmetic procedure performed that you believe went wrong, consider contacting the Iowa personal injury lawyers at Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, P.L.C. to find out if you have a viable medical malpractice case on your hands. You see, doctors and surgeons are expected to provide their patients with the standard level of care which means that no matter where you go, you would likely receive similar treatment. However, when a physician fails to do this and makes a medical mistake, they should be held accountable for it.
So, if you are interested in speaking with a skilled attorney who specializes in handling medical malpractice cases in the state of Iowa, contact us now by calling 319-393-1020.
Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, P.L.C. is located at:
1921 51st Street NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Phone: (319) 393-1020
Fax: (319) 393-4000
