A Colorado woman has issued a stark warning to those considering facial filler — after a botched procedure caused her to develop a massive growth on her chin that looked like a tumor.
Kaley Birge, a registered dietitian, had to undergo a painful procedure to drain infected liquid from the mass, which continued to ooze pus for more than two weeks.
Doctors identified the ‘tumor’ — which she’s named ‘Chimothy’ — as an abscess, which had developed as a result of an infection at one of the injection sites.
Speaking about the ordeal in a series of TikTok videos, Ms Birge said: ‘I’m going to cry I’m so disgusted. I’m having a hard time talking about this because it is so gross to me and I feel like I’m going to throw up.’
In one clip, she can be seen attempting to empty the contents of the mass by squeezing it, which forced blood and pus to come oozing out.
TikToker Kaleysfavs said her dermal filler became infected because she was experiencing an acne breakout when she underwent the cosmetic procedure
Ms Birge said she was covering the infected area with makeup to avoid embarrassment when she went to work
Ms Birge, who posts videos under the username Kaleysfavs, visited a clinic earlier this month for dermal filler in her chin area.
The shots contain gel-like substances such as hylauronic acid that plump out areas of lost volume in the face and smooth out wrinkles.
Around the time of the procedure, Ms Birge said she was suffering ‘a huge [acne] breakout’ in the area where the filler was injected, which increases the chance of infection.
The infection developed less than a week after the procedure, Ms Birge said.
The clinic that injected her filler told her to return immediately because ‘they were worried’ and they prescribed her antibiotics.
However her situation worsened and just a day later, Ms Birge returned and providers ‘extracted a bunch of puss’ from the abscess.
When an infection develops, the immune system tries to fight it and white blood cells travel to the infected area and build-up, forming an abscess.
The creator was diligently taking her antibiotics and pain relievers, but pus and colorless fluid continued to ooze from the open sore.
Two days later, Ms Birge returned once again to the facility and her medical team ultrasounded the area, which they said revealed the swelling ‘was a huge pocket of pus… they cut me open, drained out the pus and then irrigated it.’
Ms Birge left the office with packing inside the abscess. Abscess packing is when the abscess cavity is filled with gauze or cotton after it has been cut and drained.
The goal with packing is to prevent the abscess from closing so it can continue to drain, absorb fluid from the abscess and help prevent bacteria growth and infection.
When an abscess is packed, a small end of the packing is left exposed from the incision so the patient can pull the gauze or cotton out several days after the drainage.
The registered dietitian developed an abscess she had to have drained and packed several times
Ms Birge had to remove the packing, which she called a ‘dead worm,’ from inside her abscess
Ms Birge said: ‘I have to pull out the [packing] a little bit… I’m going to cry I’m so disgusted. I’m having a hard time talking about this because it is so gross to me and I feel like I’m going to throw up.’
In a video several days later, she showed herself pulling out the packing, which she called a ‘dead worm,’ from her ‘chin tumor.’
Ms Birge was then left with a small round opening on her chin, but just a day later she noticed her chin was still lopsided and said ‘something’s still under there.’
In her next video that she posted last week, she said: ‘Something huge and disgusting came out of Chimothy last night and [I don’t know] what to do.’
In a graphic video, Ms Birge showed blood, pus and fluid emerging from the abscess opening as she squeezed around the area.
Two days after that, Ms Birge noticed a bump on the other side of her face, which she called ‘Chimothy’s little sister… Chimanthia.’
Another two days later, the creator revealed while she was attempting to drain the abscess again, the filler she had injected had come out through the incision.
Ms Birge did not specify what type of practitioner administered her facial fillers, but there are many types of providers who are permitted to inject patients depending on state laws.
She did say, however, she was subsequently being treated by a doctor, physician assistant and nurse and did not blame the clinic for her complications.
Dermal fillers are temporary, meant to last between six and 18 months – depending on the type and area of injection – because the body breaks down the material and absorbs it.
Fillers, which are regulated by the FDA as medical devices, can be used across many parts of the body, including the chin, cheeks, lips, brow lines, jawline and forehead.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 2.6million Americans receive injectable facial fillers each year, making them the second most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure behind Botox injections.
They cost between $740 and $1,100, on average, based on location and type.
Common side effects of dermal fillers include bruising, redness, pain, itchiness, rash and swelling at the injection site.
Rare side effects include loss of function of the area injected, filler migration throughout the face or body, chronic inflammation, infections, open or draining wounds and necrosis, or tissue death.
People can also experience allergic reactions and granulomas, small clusters of white blood cells and other tissues that are similar to abscesses.
While the cosmetic procedure is considered safe, one study found 160 out of 430 complications reported in dermal filler patients between 2003 and 2020 were classified as severe or permanent, including necrosis and vision loss.
Authors of the study warned that nonpermanent fillers were associated with ‘rare but potentially severe complications’ depending on where they are injected and administering them ‘requires profound knowledge of facial anatomy.’
