Number 10 Billie Roocroft
In December of 2018, Manchester woman Billie Roocroft had a severe reaction to filler which
left her lips so swollen that she was afraid they were going to explode. 23-year-old Roocroft
had received the $170 procedure at her home, in Horwich, from a beautician she’d found on
Facebook. Just half an hour later, the young woman’s lips started to swell. They’d also
started to sting as a result of the rapid tissue expansion. She’d later tell a media outlet that
she looked like The Elephant Man and that her toddler was afraid of her. Roocroft sent pictures
of her inflated lips to the beautician, who claimed to have never witnessed such a reaction
and advised her to go the emergency room. By the time she reached Bolton Hospital, she could no
longer talk but only show the receptionist what was wrong. She was held for 7 hours in
the emergency room. She was given painkillers as well as a steroid injection and, by the following
morning, her lips had reduced in size. Number 9 Xie
In May of 2020, a Chinese woman was left with what she described as a “permanent frown”
following a botched cosmetic procedure. The woman, known by her surname as Xie, claimed
to have been talked into having cheek fillers by the staff of a Hangzhou clinic. She’d initially
gone there for a facelift but was persuaded into having both procedures. She was utterly unhappy
with the end result as, even after two weeks, the frowning expression hadn’t disappeared.
A manager from the clinic, identified as Fang, explained that her face was only temporarily
swollen because she’d had multiple procedures in a short time frame. He claimed that the clinic
would take full responsibility if her “constantly upset” appearance wouldn’t resolve itself within
another month, but it’s unclear if it ever did. Number 8 Liziane Gutierrez
In 2018, 32-year-old Brazilian model Liziane Gutierrez had a brush with death following
complications from a liposuction procedure. The Instagram influencer, known as the “Brazilian
Kim Kardashian”, had secretly flown to Turkey, against her family’s wishes who reportedly didn’t
think she needed the work. Doctors in the US had reportedly refused to perform it because they
determined she didn’t have any extra fat to extract. At a hospital in the Turkish capital,
Gutierrez had a severe reaction to anesthesia for which a doctor placed her in a medically-induced
coma, for 5 days. The model eventually recovered. About a year later, her troubles
with cosmetic enhancements continued. She’d had lip fillers and Botox in her native Brazil but,
shortly afterwards, felt like her face was on the verge of exploding. Gutierrez was diagnosed
with a bacterial infection and had to undergo procedures to remove her enhancement in the US.
Number 7 Angelica Isaksen In 2019, Swedish woman Angelica Isaksen
found a cheap, Turkey-based clinic on Instagram. She travelled to it and, during a 6-day stay,
had a tummy tuck, a Brazilian butt lift and breast augmentation. The last procedure would result in
horrific complications. 27-year-old Isaksen was initially happy with the results. However,
within a few days, her right breast had become inflamed. After she’d returned to Sweden, a scar
underneath the breast had started to open up and her implant poked out of it. The woman went to the
emergency room. Doctors told her she’d contracted methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,
or MRSA, during surgery. The bacterium is antibiotic-resistant but treatment,
called decolonization, is available. Isaksen was sent home, where she had to wait for an
appointment with a plastic surgeon. She had to wear a special bra and was bedridden as, with
each step she took, the hole in her breast got bigger. Fortunately, both implants were removed
and the infection cleared up. Number 6 Gao Liu
In February of 2021, a Chinese celebrity shared with her followers on Weibo, the country’s primary
social media platform, the horrific complications of a botched cosmetic nose surgery. 24-year-old
Gao Liu, a rising singer and actress, had met with a surgeon in Guangzhou for what was supposed to be
a “slight trim”. In the aftermath of the 4-hour surgery, the woman’s nose became irritated. The
skin on the tip grew progressively darker as necrosis set in and the tissue began to rot.
The damage was so extensive that she’d have to wait at least a year before she could undergo
additional surgery to mend it. Liu shared with her followers that she fell into a depression and,
at one point, had thoughts of suicide. Liu’s story ignited conversations about the growing
demand for plastic surgery in China, which had led clinics to operate without the necessary paperwork
or hire inadequately-trained staff. Citizens described regulation as “chaotic” while some
reports claimed that, in 2019, the number of unqualified clinics was roughly 6 times greater
than that of regular clinics. Number 5 Joselyn Cano
In December of 2020, Instagram influencer Joselyn Cano, who was dubbed the “Mexican Kim Kardashian”
by Hispanic media, died in the aftermath of what sources claim to have been a failed Brazilian
butt lift surgery. The procedure involves taking fat from various parts of the body and
injecting it in the buttocks with the desired effect of making them larger and rounder. Several
deaths have occurred as a result of embolisms. During the injection, there’s a risk of piercing
the gluteal vein which can cause fat clots to travel to the heart and lungs. 30-year-old Cano,
who had nearly 13 million followers on Instagram, reportedly got the procedure done in Colombia.
The circumstances surrounding the mother-of-two’s passing were announced by friend and fellow model
Lira Mercer. Footage from Cano’s funeral, held at a home in Corona, California,
was subsequently uploaded online. Number 4 Liliane Amorim
On January the 24th of 2021, a Brazilian social media influencer died in the aftermath of what’s
believed to have been a failed liposuction procedure. Shortly after she’d had surgery,
26-year-old Amorim started complaining of intense pain and called the surgeon who’d performed it.
She was reportedly only prescribed analgesic and palliative medication. Less than a week after
Amorim had had the procedure, she was admitted to the intensive care unit with complications.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she passed away in the hospital. Amorim’s family
believed that the surgeon who’d performed the liposuction was responsible for her death.
According to a statement released by their lawyer, he’d allegedly perforated the woman’s intestine,
which ultimately triggered the infection that took her life. The family stated an intention of suing
him for negligence and malpractice. Number 3 Unnamed Chinese Man
In 2020, Chinese media reported on the case of a man who’d suffered life-altering complications
after a controversial leg-lengthening procedure. The unnamed 22-year-old had reportedly always
felt insecure about his height and dreamed of standing at 5.9 feet. He travelled overseas to
have the surgery which involved cutting the bones of his legs and inserting stretching devices.
The man didn’t mention how much he’d spent on the cosmetic enhancement but, in some cases,
it can cost upwards of $100,000. Unfortunately, the patient contracted serious infections
in areas where nails had been inserted into his limbs. It developed into osteomyelitis,
which is a potentially severe bone infection. His botched procedure received media attention
after he sought help in his home country. According to Dr. Wang Lei,
who examined his case, such operations come with a high risk of complications and extreme pains,
in addition to a treatment cycle than can last for several years. Unfortunately,
the patient had already suffered considerable limb damage that, according to Dr. Wang,
was likely to result in permanent disabilities. Today's topic was requested by NoLames and
Rhonda Burke. If you have any other topics you'd like to learn about, subscribe & let us know in
the comments section below Number 2 Keuana Weaver
In 2021, an American woman died and two others became seriously ill after getting plastic
surgery in Tijuana, from a doctor who didn’t have the necessary qualifications. Attracted by the
promise of cheap procedures, the three women were operated on the same day, in January, by Dr. Jesus
Manuel Baez Lopez. In 2015, he’d had a different clinic shut down for failing to meet the minimum
legal requirements. State law in Baja California stated that only certified plastic surgeons,
which Lopez wasn’t, could perform procedures like liposuction or tummy tucks. 38-year-old Keuana
Weaver, from Long Beach, died on the operating table after Lopez had performed precisely those
cosmetic enhancements. Her friend, Kanisha Davis, had the same work done and barely survived.
She suffered hemorrhaging and a hematoma, for which she was hospitalized for 2 weeks,
in Pomona. A third woman, Esmeralda Iniguez, had to be rushed across the border after going into
septic shock. Iniguez would later tell a media outlet that Lopez had tightened her abdominal
muscles too much, squeezing her organs together and restricting blood flow to her kidneys,
a condition called Abdominal Compartment Syndrome. By the time she arrived at the hospital,
her kidneys had failed and she was hours from death. Iniguez survived but, in April of 2021,
was hospitalized again with kidney problems. The legal ramifications of the failed surgeries are
unclear as is what type of justice the women would be seeing. Baja California authorities stated
they’d be investigating the case. Number 1 Michael Jackson
Known globally as the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson is one of the most
recognizable cultural figures of the 20th century and the most awarded music artist in history. He’d
been a celebrity, since the 1960s, as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, and up until his death,
in 2009 Jackson was the subject of numerous controversies regarding his behavior,
relationships and appearance. After he’d established himself as a solo sensation, Jackson’s
appearance began to chance, in the mid-1980s. His skin color, originally medium-brown, became
much paler. This drew speculation and consequent criticism that he was bleaching his skin to appear
white, with some claiming he was a poor model for black youth. Jackson had been diagnosed
with vitiligo, a disorder characterized by patches of skin losing their pigment,
causing permanent and extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Jackson explained, in an Oprah
interview, that he wasn’t trying to be someone else. He’d been using fair-colored makeup and skin
whitening creams to cover the uneven blotches of skin. There was also speculation that Jackson had
become addicted to cosmetic surgery, those close to him estimating he’d had at least 10 procedures
by 1990. The cosmetic work reportedly included his forehead, cheekbones and lips. The appearance of
Jackson’s nose was particularly debated and it’s believed he had at least 6 rhinoplasties. There
was a rumor that Jackson’s nose had become so fragile from surgery that it had actually fallen
off at some point. The extensive modifications, coupled with Jackson’s public behavior had led
to tabloids nicknaming him “Wacko Jacko”, which the artist reportedly found extremely hurtful.
Thanks for watching! Assuming no surgical procedure would be required, what's ONE thing
you'd change about your physical appearance? Let us know in the comments section below!