@barbara_martiniano/Newsflash
Big lips, bigger lawsuit?
A Brazilian woman is considering legal action after claiming she “almost died” from a terrifying allergic reaction to lip filler.
Barbara Martiniano, 27, was inspired to undergo the cosmetic procedure after seeing influencers show off their artificially enhanced lips on Instagram.
“I didn’t think it was something that could cause any problems,” the nutritionist told Newsflash, saying she received the filler from a dentist’s office in João Pessoa, Paraiba State.
Lip fills can be carried out by trained dentists and aesthetic body modifiers who use synthetic hyaluronic acid to create a plump pout.
“I researched what type of hyaluronic acid they were using,” Martiniano explained. “I determined that it was of high quality, so I went there the same day.”
After receiving the filler, the Brazilian believed everything was fine. However, 24 hours later, her lips started throbbing.
“For three days, the pain intensified, but I thought it would go away,” she stated. “The dentist who performed the application said that the area could be a little sore.”
Martiniano tried to numb the pain with aspirin with no success. She returned to the dentist’s office, where employees asserted that everything was fine.
“That’s when I got in touch with a friend who is a dentist and works with facial harmonization,” Martiniano said. “She said it was not normal and did a blood flow test, finding that she was not getting any results.”
The nutritionist returned to the dentist’s office for a second time, with fears that she could be hours away from suffering necrosis, where lack of blood flow causes human tissue to die.
The dentist who performed Martiniano’s original lip filler procedure decided to inject an enzyme designed to deconstruct the hyaluronic acid.
“After applying the enzyme and removing the hyaluronic acid, they sent me home,” she claimed. “It was only when I was in the car that I received a message from the clinic advising me to take an anti-allergy medication but they didn’t even tell me the dosage. But it was too late, as I was already having an allergic reaction.”
The brunette rushed to the emergency room, saying it felt as if she was choking to death.
“They [doctors] injected corticosteroids and other medications into my vein,” she said. “I cried a lot. I felt a blockage in my throat and a lot of pain in my neck.
“I spent New Year and Christmas with my mouth peeling, withered and hideous,” she added, saying she’s still unsure if her lips will ever return to normal.
Martiniano now says she’s considering legal action against the dentist.
“They promised to compensate for the costs,” she declared. “But I told them, ‘For me, that is nothing compared to everything I’ve experienced. I almost died.’”