Nine NetworkA young woman from Australia came close to going blind after lip filler was injected in the arteries in her top lip.
24-year-old Mikayla Stutchbery from Victoria was a regular user of botox and lip fillers, and when her usual therapist was all booked up, she opted to schedule an appointment at the Laser Clinics Australia Outlet chain. This was a decision she would come to regret.
Following her lip filler appointment, former disability worker Mikayla noticed her lips felt strange and had swollen up. She realised something was seriously wrong when one side of her mouth swelled up to double its normal size.
You can find out more about this terrifying story in the following news clip:
Mikayla’s reaction was so severe that her lips developed blisters that burst, causing her to swallow the leaked filler solution.
Speaking with 9 News current affairs program A Current Affair, Mikayla said:
One part just started swelling up ginormously and started getting white around it, like it was dying.
After returning to the clinic, Mikayla was told the horrifying reaction was due to a cold sore which had become infected because her dog had licked her face.
Mikayla told A Current Affair presenters:
I’ve never had a cold sore in my entire life. It was extremely painful and then there was a part where I got blisters and they burst, and I started swallowing the filler and passed out.
You see the horror stories on TV, but that will never happen to you until it actually does.
Nine NetworkMikayla was issued antibiotics after a visit to her doctor. However, matters worsened when Mikayla had an allergic reaction to antibiotics that meant she needed to take two weeks off work. As a result of these period of absence, she lost her job.
Former President of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons Professor Mark Ashton has confirmed the fillers had been injected into her arteries, and told A Current Affair presenters she could have gone blind:
It could have easily been that she went blind. In my opinion, there is little doubt that this poor girl has had filler injected into the arteries supplying the upper lip.
That filler has then gone on to cause tissue death. It could have gone up into her face up along the side of the nose and into her eye, and she could have been rendered blind instantly.
Laser Clinics Australia have denied the claims made by Mikayla, and have released the following statement:
Laser Clinics totally rejects Ms Stuchbery’s allegations. There is no medical evidence that the Laser Clinics treatment caused any infection.
The Wendouree Clinic followed all appropriate clinical procedures mandated by Laser Clinics and there is no report or finding to the contrary that has been brought to the attention of Laser Clinics to suggest any error.
Ms Stuchbery sought to have the complaint investigated by an independent party. However it was not pursued and the file was closed.
Ms Stuchbery and a friend attended the Wendouree Clinic and threatened a staff member which resulted in both of them being prohibited from returning to the premises.
Laser Clinics Australia has a Medical Advisory Panel of Dermatologists and Doctors who review its processes and protocols for all treatments performed.
Nine NetworkWhen Mikayla returned to the clinic to confront staff about the botched fillers, she was given a letter prohibiting her from entering the premises.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.