Maryum Mohammad suffered a potentially life-threatening condition after undergoing a routine chin filler procedure which went wrong, as ITV News Reporter Ellie Pitt explains
Maryum Mohammad’s yearly cosmetic appointment has left her permanently scarred.
Like thousands of women in the UK, she would get facial injections as part of her beauty routine.
This January, she wanted cosmetic filler injected into her chin to make it appear more plump and full.
But she says the appointment did not go like it usually does.
She told ITV News: “What started feeling wrong was when every time she did sort of go in with the needle, the product wouldn’t come out and she would say ‘oh, it’s not coming out, it’s getting stuck’.
“Then the final time she went in [with the needle] and squeezed, I instantly went numb. And I said, ‘oh, I’ve gone numb. Is it working?’ and she said, ‘yeah, it’s working’.”
But filler had been injected into Maryum’s blood vessel, blocking the blood supply to her skin, causing it to die.
Naruschka Henriques treated Maryum at the Botonics Plastic Surgery Group in London.
Maryum had been her client for seven years. Ms Henriques is listed as a mental health nurse prescriber online.
Maryum contacted Ms Henriques shortly after her appointment to raise the alarm, saying she did not feel right and was experiencing painful swelling on her chin.
Two days after her initial appointment, Ms Henriques saw Maryum again and injected a product to try to dissolve the filler.
However, over the next few days, dark areas of skin appeared on Maryum’s chin.
She sent photos and descriptions of her symptoms to Ms Henriques.
ITV News has seen text messages in which Ms Henriques suggests Maryum drinks a turmeric latte, massages the area with an electric toothbrush and sex toy, and takes Viagra, as methods of treatment.
Maryum told ITV News: “I felt like I was being experimented on by Google searches…I was really scared, really, really scared.”
Maryum told Ms Henriques her she was ‘desperate’, worried her skin was dying and was struggling with her mental health as she watched the skin on her chin deteriorate.
A spokesperson for Botonics said: “We regret that, on this occasion, our patient experienced a very uncommon side effect from an otherwise routine filler injection. Having thoroughly reviewed her treatment, we strongly deny any allegations of wrongdoing or inadequate care.”
Eventually Maryum felt she needed specialist help and rather than approach the NHS she found a private doctor, Dr Sach Mohan from Revere Clinics, who told her that her blood vessel had been blocked and began treating her.
Dr Mohan diagnosed Maryum with a vascular occlusion, a serious condition which can result in permanent tissue damage, necrosis, or even blindness when left untreated. When undiagnosed, it can also be life threatening.
Maryum has been told that it could take a year for her skin to heal fully and that she will have permanent scarring.
Botonics said, “We started treating the issue with the protocol recommended by the manufacturer of the filler as soon as the problem was identified and it’s unfortunate that this course was interrupted before it could be completed.
“This treatment has since been thoroughly reviewed by three independent medical specialists and we maintain that it was the most appropriate approach in the circumstances.”
ITV News showed Maryum’s case to Dr Roshan Ravindran, a GP with twenty years medical experience who now practices aesthetics and owns three clinical sites.
Dr Rosh said that Maryum’s case was avoidable with “quicker treatment and standardised care.”
He has started a parliamentary petition calling on the UK Government to bring in laws that restrict who can carry out aesthetic or non-surgical procedures.
Dr Rosh recommends a system that mirrors the NHS, where a medical doctor oversees patients and procedures and to whom they can be referred if a complication arises.
He told ITV News: “We have to create a structure that is safe. We have to create an industry that puts patient safety ahead of a quick buck.”
There are no rules in UK that state who can carry out aesthetic procedures.
Dr Rosh’s proposals, which include that anyone with no medical qualifications should not be able to carry out Botox or dermal filler injections, have been controversial with non-medics in the industry.
Kayleigh Hartling runs her own business in Lincolnshire. She started out in aesthetics 10 years ago and, although she does not have a medical background, she says she has spent £30,000 training herself and now offers courses to others.
“It shouldn’t be a battle about are medics better than a beauty therapist, are beauty therapists better than a medic, it should be safe practice versus bad practice, which is why education, continued education, proper education is so important for this industry.”
The UK Government says it is working on proposals to regulate the industry but has not set a date for implementation.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The government is urgently exploring options for further regulation of the sector.
“The safety of patients is paramount, and we would urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner.”
The Scottish Government has recently carried out its own consultation on plans to bring in laws for the sector.
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