A mum paid £60 to get anti-wrinkle injections from a hairdresser but claims he used a “dirty needle” and was left with large bumps on her face, leaving her fearful she may have contracted HIV.
Kat Ramsay, from Kent, has been receiving “confidence-boosting” anti-wrinkle injections for the past four years to look more youthful and relieve tension headaches.
But about a week after being seen at her home in March, the 41-year-old was unable to get out of bed and called 111, suspecting she may have contracted sepsis.
The next day she had large bumps around her eyes, forehead and brow creases which she claims were “exactly the places” where she had received the £60 anti-wrinkle injections.
Ramsay said the swelling had affected her confidence and she refused to leave her house because people would stare.
The mother-of-two said that after four weeks of antibiotics and a visit to a dermatologist, she was told her symptoms were due to “cross-contamination”.
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Ramsay quickly booked an HIV test, which came back negative, but one stubborn boil remains and she worries the scars from the others may never go away.
Now she’s keen to encourage people to thoroughly research practitioners before getting injections.
“About a week after I had the jab I started feeling really unwell,” said Ramsay, from Margate, Kent.
“I couldn’t walk or get out of bed so I called 111 and they got me antibiotics that same day.
“The next day, when large boils started appearing on my face, the doctors thought it might be sepsis.
“The swelling got bigger and bigger and I couldn’t leave the house. People would stare at me in the street and in the shops and I didn’t want to go outside.”
“I noticed the boil was in the exact same place where I had given the injection.
“I didn’t see her open a new needle so it could have been a used one.”
“I took an HIV test just to be safe and it was luckily negative because at one point I was scared that I might have HIV.”
“I went to a dermatologist and he said it was a case of cross contamination and he had put a needle he had used on someone else in the same bottle.
“I still have one boil left, but it hasn’t burst yet. Three months later, I’m still walking around with a bandaid on my face.”
“You probably won’t be able to inject in that spot again because of the scar tissue.”
“It’s going to scar me for life.”
Ms Ramsay trusted the practitioner after he was recommended by a friend, but now she urges beauty lovers to do their own research before booking a facial treatment.
She said: “I’ve been getting anti-wrinkle injections for about four years and have never had a problem – they’ve always been effective.”
“This product helps with tension headaches and reduces the appearance of wrinkles and frown lines. This is partly for vanity and partly for health benefits. This product has given me confidence.”
“I wish it hadn’t been so much worse but it did take a huge toll on my confidence. I had four big bumps on my face and everyone was staring at me.”
“I would tell others to research the practitioner and check the product because there are people out there who are cutting corners.”
“I will only ever go to the doctor, dentist or nurse from now on because I know from experiences like this that you never know what’s in those products and regulations are so lax.”
