Jessica Burko could not believe her lips had swollen so much. Photo / TikTok
A woman has opened up about the horrific moment she realised her lip filler had been botched.
Influencer Jessica Burko is not shy about keeping it real when it comes to procedures and beauty enhancements she has had done.
The 27-year-old explained that she had gotten lip filler at least six times before and had never had a bad reaction.
Burko, who lives in Los Angeles, said it has been about a year since she had last got them filled, and after winning a free giveaway, thought it would be a great time to get a top-up.
She had never been to this injector before and now says she never will again after experiencing the trauma of what happened next.
“I went to go get my lips done yesterday, and something bad happened,” she said in a TikTok video.
The clips showed her at the clinic with numbing cream on, and then cut to an “after” where her lips appeared to dramatically swell up.
She said that they just kept getting bigger, and she had no idea what was going on.
“I honestly don’t know what went wrong, I had my lips done multiple times,” Burko said.
“This doctor was doing a giveaway. He did everything he was supposed to do.
“Immediately after he injected me, I looked in the mirror and realised how swollen I was.
“I thought maybe it was because I hadn’t got my lips done in over a year.
“But by the time I got to my car, I realised it was not normal. I went back to show him.
“He prescribed me a steroid, and it just got worse.”
Her lips would still not go down, so she decided to go back the next day to get the filler dissolved.
Thankfully, she is now back to normal – and has issued a warning about being tempted by free giveaways.
Burko also urged her followers to never ignore when something went wrong after a procedure.
“It was a free giveaway that I won, it was for Halloween,” she said.
“He certainly had me looking very scary. I would never go back.
“Never do free cosmetics. But also don’t be scared to get your lips done.
“I love getting them done, and I will be back to my regular girl.”
Burko said that due to getting all her filler dissolved, she would need to get her lips filled again – but she would go back to her regular injector.
She also claims that she was told the man has “hit an artery” and that is what caused the reaction.
“Turns out my doctor hit an artery,” Burko said.
“The product and everything didn’t know where to go, so that is what caused the swelling.”
However, some people in the comments disagreed with this explanation.
“If the doctor hit an artery, you would have a vascular occlusion,” one said.
“Your lips would be pale white and you’d be in intense pain.”
“He did not hit an artery, this was a reaction” another commented.
“He lied to you girl.”
The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) warned that people wishing to undergo cosmetic injections should be aware of all the risks involved.
“Risks are not only associated with the product,” they stated on their website.
“If the person who performs a cosmetic procedure lacks adequate qualification, knowledge or experience, this can cause significant adverse events.
“As with any procedure, there are associated risks that the prescriber should explain to you.
“But it is also important to make sure you will be supported after the procedure if you experience any side effects.
“Counterfeit dermal filler products imported from overseas exist and should be avoided. These can be difficult to identify.
“The best way to avoid them is to only ever source prescription products from a medical professional.
“Be aware of heavily advertised and discounted procedures. Ask the right questions to make sure you’re comparing ‘like with like’ when researching clinics/doctors.”