Face filler ‘burned and melted’ my nose off — and it could happen to anyone
Another day, another victim of improperly administered cosmetic filler.
This time, a botched shot caused a Washington state woman’s nose to fall off
“It caused some PTSD when I witnessed my face burning and melting and falling off,” Krysta Carson, 52, told Kennedy News of the “terrifying ordeal.”
The Seattlelite’s agonizing saga began over ten years ago, when, like many people approaching middle age, Carson became dissatisfied with her appearance — lamenting that some strangers had even mistaken her for her own mother-in-law
Despite having received Botox injections for 20 years up to that point, the professional entertainer was still being viewed as much older than desired.
“My husband is 10 years younger than me and after he joined me here [in Seattle], in a period of about two weeks I got mistaken for his mother three times,” lamented the woman. “I don’t know if it was my neck or my cheek or what was giving away the difference in our ages, but I needed to do something about this.
Carson decided to seek out filler treatment in 2015 from an unnamed surgeon. “I felt like I was really safe and in really good hands so I signed the consent form, which just had some warnings about bruising and swelling and a risk of infection,” she recalled. “I didn’t see anything else that concerned me at all.”
The next year, Carson embarked on her ill-fated cosmetic journey by receiving annual injections into her smile lines, the results of which she was initially satisfied.
All was going well until October 12, 2020, when she received a shot that would alter her life forever.
Carson had reportedly scheduled her injection that day so she could look her best at an upcoming wedding gig. However, when the performer returned home later that day, she started experiencing a host of strange symptoms, including a “numbing, tingling sensation,” and even slurred words.
Alarmed over the sudden influx of symptoms, which were getting progressively worse, Carson called the surgeon’s office the following morning.
He told her to come in right away, after which he admitted that he’d hit a blood vessel, and that her condition would “get worse before it gets better,” per Carson.
Despite the alarming news, the doc said she would probably be fine within six months, and gave her an ointment to treat the injection site.
The chop doc’s diagnosis quickly proved not to be the case. Carson was reportedly applying said topical treatment on October 31, 2020, when all of a sudden, the bottom of her nostril came off her upper lip.
“My entire left nostril just detached and was dangling there by a tiny piece of flesh,” Carson recalled. “I was in shock and terrified.”
She added, “My entire left nasal passage and the inside of my mouth also looked like that and felt like it was on fire.”
Accompanying photos show Carson’s nose, which is blackened and half-rotted away like a Medieval skin affliction.
As it turned out, the botched filler infusion had caused a vascular occlusion, in which the injected fluid cuts off oxygen and nutrients to the skin. While generally mild, Carson’s case had snowballed to the point where she experienced necrosis (tissue death) of the variety observed in severe frostbite cases.
“I think [the doctor] was particularly clumsy and careless in his injection and because it was such a big amount and a major blood vessel, it caused an extra large amount of damage,” posited the Washingtonian, who was particularly dismayed as her doc never mentioned said side effects.
The consequences weren’t just cosmetic. Carson’s mouth was swollen shut following the injury, rendering her unable to eat, which caused her to lose 30 pounds in 30 days.
Alarmed over her literal loss of face, she went to see a doctor who specialized in reconstructive surgery, where she received yet more disheartening news.
“He took my bandages off and handed me a mirror and said it’s not going to grow back,” said Carson, who said she subsequently “lost the will to live.”
“I knew I couldn’t work,” she described. “I’ve been working as a model and singer for 30 years and you can’t do a lot without a whole face.”
She added, “I haven’t been able to go back to work full time because I have such horrible breathing and breath support issues with my missing nostril and shriveled nasal passage.”
As Carson was unable to afford reconstructive surgery, she was relegated to wearing a prosthetic nostril outfitted with a nasal stent so could breathe better.
While still “screwed up and scarred,” Carson claims the faux nose — which she’s now worn for two years — has allowed her to “live a normal life.”
“I don’t know how I would have survived any of this without the prosthetics,” gushed the patient, who is saving up for a new synthetic shnoz that will fit her face better.
In light of the ordeal, Carson ceased all Botox and filler procedures three years ago and is now embracing the natural aging process.
She’s also documented her harrowing health journey on TikTok — where she goes by @disfiguredbeauty — with the hopes of dissuading others from making the same mistake she did.
“It’s really important to me that this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” she said. “If I was using this for years thinking it’s totally safe, there could be people thinking the same.”
