A Manchester model has injected 20 syringes of lip filler into her own lips at home, after salons refused to perform the procedure, warning her lips were already “too stretched”. Sofia Lips, who once had Britain's “biggest lips” before dissolving them last year, says she wants her extreme look back.
Clinics refused to treat her
Salons turned her away, cautioning that adding more filler could be dangerous. Sofia told followers she “took their words with a pinch of salt – and decided to do it myself”. She spent £500 on a six-week online course covering Botox and filler injections for lips, cheeks, and chin, then bought 20 1ml syringes of filler online for £488 from a Korea-based retailer.
“I used all of them at once. I'm so happy with the outcome that I think I'm ready to start doing this on other people,” she said. “My lips were quite stretched at first, so I struggled to drink and eat. But now, a few days later, they're just slightly tender. I think I've done a better job than the supposed professionals.”
Warnings from NHS England
NHS England guidance cautions that complications from dermal fillers “can be serious, including infection, nerve damage and blindness” and advises people to “avoid practitioners who've only completed a short training course”. Despite this, Sofia says she “doesn't care” about the warnings, and her phone's Face ID failing to recognise her doesn't faze her either.
“The gasps I've been getting in public are wild. So many people are taking pictures of me. Clinics just don't understand the look I'm going for. I want to look like I've gone too far and over-the-top. I'm aiming to be the ultimate fake bimbo doll. So it's just something I'm going to have to do myself,” she said.
Rise in 'looksmaxxing'
Sofia is not alone in resorting to at-home injections. The internet has seen a rise in “looksmaxxers” – individuals attempting to mimic the natural looks of influencers using unknown substances, typically silicone, purchased online. Doctors worldwide are sharing cases of patients suffering adverse reactions, with one describing the cases as “disturbing”.
Sofia is ignoring medical advice, despite a previous botched plastic surgery procedure that put her life in danger. “I literally nearly died as it got so bad. There was green gunk all over my bandages from where I was leaking. I didn't know what was going on – and I worried my life was on the line,” she said.
