A WOMAN who got a face filler to hide her aging smile lines after being repeatedly mistaken for her husband’s mom was horrified when it went wrong, and half her nose fell off.
Krysta Carson says her doctor administered a clumsy injection into a major blood vessel, using too much filler, which caused her flesh to die and melt off two weeks later.
Kennedy Newsand MediaKrysta Carson’s face filler procedure went horribly wrong when half her nose fell off[/caption]
Kennedy Newsand MediaCarson said she decided to undergo the procedure after being mistaken for her husband’s mom three times during a two-week span[/caption]
Kennedy Newsand MediaKrysta Carson’s nose after the ordeal[/caption]
Kennedy Newsand MediaThe Seattle native’s nose appeared to be rotting after the botched procedure[/caption]
The 52-year-old decided to get dermal filler after being mistaken for her husband’s mom three times in the space of two weeks – despite having had Botox for nearly 20 years.
Carson says she had filler injected into her smile lines annually since 2016 and loved the results before a vascular occlusion caused the skin inside her mouth, nose, and around her left nostril to become necrotic and fall off.
Shocking footage shows how her entire nostril turned black and rotted before Carson was able to move it around, as it was barely attached to her face anymore.
The professional entertainer says she “lost the will to live” after the shock disfigurement ruined her career of 30 years, despite her doctor claiming she would be fine within six weeks of the incident.
Carson says that, thankfully, her husband, 42-year-old Redd Gill, found a facial prosthetics specialist after staying up all night doing research.
Carson has shared her prosthetics journey on TikTok to warn others of the potential dangers of dermal fillers and to show how she used makeup and jewelry to hide her scars.
Carson, from Seattle, Washington, told The U.S. Sun: “I had been having Botox since the ’90s and loved that and had amazing results.
“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.
“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. I sought out filler in 2015.
“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.
“I didn’t see anything else that concerned me at all.”
Carson says she visited her doctor in 2020 for a routine filler session ahead of a wedding gig – but instead was administered an injection that left her permanently disfigured.
She said: “When I got home that day [October 12, 2020], I started feeling a strange numbing, tingling sensation.
“And [my face] started getting really swollen, and I started slurring my words.
“It was getting progressively worse. In the morning, I called the doctor’s office, and they said to come in right away.
“The doctor examined me and then left the room and came back looking very nervous. He told me he hit a blood vessel.
“I was terrified and confused and just did whatever they suggested and waited for more information when I would go back to the office every day.
“He still never told me that I could get necrosis and lose pieces of my face.”
Carson continued: “He kept saying it’s going to get worse before it gets better, but you’re probably going to be fine in about six weeks.
“I was very shocked when that day came along where I was dressing the wounds with the ointment that my doctor gave me, and I saw the bottom of my nostril snap and detach from my upper lip.
“It caused some PTSD when I witnessed my face burning and melting and falling off.
“That was really terrifying. It was Halloween of 2020, the day that my entire left nostril just detached and was dangling there by a tiny piece of flesh. I was in shock and terrified.
“When you hit a blood vessel, it blocks it and freezes it. It’s similar to a frostbite injury. The flesh around it just dies and falls off.
“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.”
Carson says her mouth was swollen shut after the injury, leaving her unable to eat, which resulted in her dropping 30lbs in just 30 days.
She said: “My entire left nasal passage and the inside of my mouth also looked like that and felt like it was on fire.
“I went to see another doctor who specializes in reconstruction surgery. He took my bandages off and handed me a mirror and said it’s not going to grow back.
“That was a really rude awakening. I really didn’t realize until that day that it was just gone.
“That was when I lost my will to live. I knew I couldn’t work. I’ve been working as a model and singer for 30 years and you can’t do a lot without a whole face.
“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.
“It was a great life until this happened to me. I really miss it.”
Carson says she was unable to afford reconstructive surgery and has instead worn a prosthetic nostril for more than two years.
She is now saving up for new prosthetics that will fit her face better.
“I felt relieved when I saw the prosthetic for the first time. I was just so relieved and grateful that I had a face again. My prosthetics person is a genius,” Carson said.
“I’m still screwed up and scarred and have to wear a fake nostril, but I can live a normal life.
“It’s attached to a nasal stent so it’s a breathing tube with a tiny little nostril at the end of it.
“When I put the prosthetic in, it opens up that shriveled, scarred nasal passage. It’s functional as a breathing device.
“I don’t know how I would have survived any of this without the prosthetics. They are amazing. I can’t wait for new ones.”
Carson says she has stopped all Botox and filler treatments and embraced the natural aging process three years ago.
“It’s really important to me that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. If I was using this for years thinking it’s totally safe, there could be people thinking the same,” Carson said.
“I just want people to know about it and choose their doctor wisely – that’s so important.”