A mother whose botched facelift left her with hard lumps on her face and was on anti-depressants has said how she now just wants to “go back to how she was”.
Katie Lowden, 34, a stay-at-home mum-of-four from Braintree, Essex, had the procedure in July 2022, hoping to boost her confidence in her appearance.
But after the procedure, she developed granulomas – small clusters of immune cells that can manifest as lumps – on her face.
Despite the clinic’s efforts to dissolve the filler, her condition worsened, causing regular swelling and rendering her unrecognizable.
As a result, she sank into a deep depression, postponing her wedding to fiancé Aaron, 33, and was even prescribed anti-depressants.
Katie Lowden, 34, a stay-at-home mum who lives in Braintree, Essex, with her four children and her fiance Aaron, 33, landscaper, underwent a procedure that uses dermal fillers and botox in July 2022, hoping to boost her confidence.
Ms Lowden underwent an eight-point facelift, a non-surgical procedure that uses fillers and Botox to add volume to the face, in July 2022. But after the procedure, she developed granulomas – small clusters of immune cells – on her face
Then, in December 2022, her ordeal took another turn when she discovered a hard lump on her neck that doctors initially feared could be cancer.
But after tests and a biopsy, they confirmed it was the result of a migrating filler.
The filler can naturally move away from the injection site or expand if it is incorrectly placed into the skin or if there is too much filler in one place and if the wrong type is used.
Ms Lowden suspects the clinic used a filler that was not intended for certain areas of the face, but did not get a response from them when she asked for confirmation.
She is now in the process of corrective treatments and hopes to regain her former appearance.
“I’ve never felt beautiful, but all I want is to go back to the way I was before I had that stupid facelift,” she said.
“When everything is settled, I will be happy, I will not complain about my appearance and I will be grateful.
“I’m going to live in the moment and know that I’m beautiful and I never needed a facelift in the first place.”
Ms Lowden underwent an eight-point facelift, a non-surgical procedure that uses fillers and Botox to add volume to the face, in July 2022 after feeling insecure about her appearance.
“I was bullied my whole school life,” he said.
“Well, for me, I’ve never really been confident, and obviously just seeing people do things made me feel like I want to look like that to give me some confidence.
“I’ve aged a bit — I started having my kids when I was 18, so I feel like it’s been weighing on me.
“I really didn’t (feel) great about myself, so I thought I might as well do it.
Botox, called Botulinum toxin, works by relaxing facial muscles to smooth lines and wrinkles, while filler adds volume to the face making it look younger.
The procedure was done in a licensed clinic where he had done lip fillers in the past with satisfactory results.
However, Ms Lowden soon realized it was the “worst decision” she had “ever made”.
Almost immediately after the procedure, she noticed the small pea-sized granulomas that formed on her face where the filler was injected.
Tiny clumps of white blood cells can form in response to infections, irritants, and foreign objects.
“You couldn’t recognize me, and it was so painful, it was like stones being sunk into my skin,” Ms Lowden recalled.
Although she was reassured by the clinic that the lumps would go away after two weeks, a month passed with no improvement.
After another month, her entire face swelled up “like a balloon.”
At first, she didn’t connect the swelling with the procedure, assuming it might be a reaction to a bee sting or insect bite, and went to A&E, where she was prescribed antibiotics in case of infection.
But when her condition didn’t improve, she decided to contact the clinic again, which suggested she was experiencing a delayed reaction to the procedure.
In September 2022, they tried to dissolve some of the filler, but this made things worse causing her face to swell even more and she began to break out almost every fortnight.
Almost immediately after the procedure, she noticed small pea-sized bumps, known as granulomas, forming on her face where the filler was injected
Doctors were concerned that a lump in her neck could be cancer. But the biopsy results revealed that it was instead the filler that the clinic had unsuccessfully tried to dissolve that had migrated from her jaw to her neck
In an attempt to help, a doctor at the clinic gave her antibiotics, but Ms Lowden said this medicine appeared to be under the name of another patient.
“At the time, I just didn’t care, I wanted to fix my face,” she admitted.
When her condition still did not improve, the clinic advised her to go to the NHS.
Around the same time, in December 2022, she discovered a hard lump on her neck.
Seeking help from doctors, she was sent for tests with fears that the growth could be cancer.
Mrs Lowden said: “It was quite a lump for your neck… I could hold it and it was hard.
“It was very tiring, I was worried about it, and I was also very humiliated because I did it and it didn’t go well, it was horrible.”
Fortunately, in January 2023, results confirmed it was not cancer, to the “huge relief” of Mrs Lowden and her loved ones.
Instead, it was revealed that the filler that the clinic had tried unsuccessfully to dissolve had migrated from her jaw to her neck.
As of August 2024, he has undergone several corrective procedures and is on the road to recovery
In the midst of this ordeal, Ms Lowden made the difficult decision to call off her wedding, which had been planned for April 2025.
“I called it off because if I spend all my money to have this perfect day and it ruins my face, I wouldn’t want to get married,” she explained.
“And I know it sounds horrible, but the day you want to look beautiful, amazing, I’d be blown away by the swelling.
“So we called it off until I could get my face done … my fiance was amazing about it, but he was so upset.”
She was also prescribed anti-depressants by her doctor to deal with the mental strain caused by her experience.
“I wanted to cry every day and it hurt to peel my face and I made it so much worse,” she said.
“I didn’t want to go out and ask about my face, so my partner would do the school run — I was so afraid of being judged.”
Determined to repair the damage, Ms. Lowden began researching clinics and found out Revere Clinic in London’s Harley Street, run by renowned cosmetic doctor, Dr Sach Mohan.
As of August 2024, he has undergone several corrective procedures and is on the road to recovery.
He said: “When he broke it up, I felt a shock hit the granuloma and it actually broke up properly.
“It was just amazing. I can’t thank him enough, I didn’t feel judged and he knew exactly what he was doing, and that makes me feel good again.
“It can also help repair the tissue, so it looks good.”
While she isn’t sure how much the total cost for the repairs will be, she expects it to be in the thousands.
Now, Ms Lowden is looking forward to re-planning her wedding and hoping her face will return to the way it was before she had the facelift.
