A woman from south Florida who suffered severe disfigurement and blindness in one eye after a botched cosmetic procedure is now campaigning for stricter regulations. Carol Bryan, now 57, had dermal fillers injected in 2009 to restore volume to her forehead and cheekbones, but the procedure went disastrously wrong.
Two different fillers, including silicone, were combined in the same syringe and injected into inappropriate areas. Three months later, Bryan experienced terrifying swelling and contraction of her face. Corrective surgeries only worsened the damage; the first operation to reduce her forehead affected her optic nerve, causing permanent loss of sight in her right eye.
Bryan became so distressed that she isolated herself for three years, rarely leaving her home and contemplating suicide. Her daughter eventually intervened, and the family moved to Los Angeles for specialist treatment. The most painful corrective surgery involved grafting skin from her back onto her forehead, a 17-hour procedure.
Today, Bryan directs the Face2Face Healing organisation and its Saving Face initiative, raising awareness about the risks of cosmetic procedures. She says she feels amazing and is happy to be alive, but urges others to carefully consider their motivations before undergoing treatment. 'Our collective perspective on beauty is so flawed,' she said, encouraging people to recognise their own inherent beauty.
