A MUM who hoped face surgery in Turkey would make her look like a ‘snapchat filter’ had a ‘horror-film’ op that has left her unable to even close her eyes.
Joanne Law felt ‘wrinkly’ after losing seven stone following a successful gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey in February 2023, so was ‘excited’ to get work done on her face at the same hospital.
Joanne Law suffered from blepharitis immediately after surgery, which caused her eyelids to swell and grow blister[/caption]
Joanne before her face surgery, which set her back £5,200[/caption]
The 56-year-old had saved up around £5,200 for a face, neck and eyelid lift along with a fat graft and went under the knife again in June 2023.
But when Joanne was taken to the operation room, she was ‘frightened’ to see it was in basement and looked like a ‘horror film‘.
Joanne said she suffered from blepharitis immediately after surgery, which caused her eyelids to swell and grow blisters, lasting three months.
Since then, Joanne has not been able to fully shut her eyes, causing them to dry out and tear up.
Shocking footage shows Joanne’s eyes remaining open even when she is sleeping – with her eyelids not fully closed and her eyes clearly visible and darting around in her sleep.
This has left Joanne unable to drive at night as the lights blind her and her eyes are always dry, while her eyelids ‘droop’ and don’t shut properly.
The mum-of-two also suffers from ‘painful’ scars behind her ears and on her eyes, while she was left with a ‘wobbly turkey neck’ after the botched lift.
Joanne, from Manchester, Greater Manchester, said: “When I lost seven stone I just felt wrinkly, so I thought this is my next step, I’ll get my face done.
“I was chuffed the whole time and that was my downfall. I didn’t research enough because I trusted them.
“The procedure was around the back of the hospital in a basement. It frightened the hell out of me, it was awful, like a horror movie.
“There was an old-fashioned bed screen separator, someone was being operated on the other side in the same theatre.
“Immediately after I got blepharitis, which is a bacterial infection, and had blisters under my eyes for three months.
“I still can’t fully close my eyes now. I’m struggling to drive at night now because the car lights hurt my eyes and I just can’t close them.
“When it’s windy out I just can’t see, my eyes fill with tears. My eyes are so dry so they need to tear up to be protected from the elements.
What is Blepharitis?
BLEPHARITIS is a common condition where the eyelids become inflamed.
The eyes can become red, swollen and itchy and sore.
Crusty or greasy patches can appear, along with a burning, gritty or sore sensation.
It is typically a long-term condition, that continues to return.
It is difficult to get rid of, but maintaining good eye hygiene is essential to lower the risk.
The three main steps are:
- using a warm cotton wool pad, or similar, on the eyes to make the oil produced by the glands around the eye more runny
- gently massage your eyelids to push the oils out of the glands
- clean your eyelids to wipe away excess oil and remove any crusts, bacteria, dust or grime that may have built up
Though rare complications can include sight loss.
The mum-of-two also suffers from ‘painful’ scars behind her ears and on her eyes[/caption]
“When I get tired, the bottom of my eye droops. I’ll be driving and will have to pull over at services and shut my eyes because I’ll be driving as if I’ve had no sleep for a week.
“You can see one of my eyeballs more than the other.
“I got a turkey neck, it wobbles, and they didn’t tighten my muscles.
“I have scars on the back of my ear and earlobe so I can’t put earpods in my ear and it is still painful.
“It’s like a five-year-old has done it.
“I’m really deflated because my sleeve was such a success I thought I was going to look like something straight out of a snapchat filter.”
The 56-year-old had saved up around £5,200 for a face, neck and eyelid lift along with a fat graft[/caption]
Joanne is unable to fully shut her eyes, even when sleeping[/caption]
Now, Joanne said the surgery – which included as blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift – has knocked her confidence as she does not like to leave the house and uses makeup to cover her scars.
The hospital coordinator reportedly recommended that Joanne had a fat graft, which has left her feeling like a ‘cartoon character’.
When Joanne got in touch with the hospital she was reportedly told that her scarring was normal and to wait 12 months for them to heal.
However, the hospital reportedly ignored Joanne’s emails after the 12-month period.
Joanne said: “I’m not rich, I was saving up and gave things up, and I was really excited for the surgery.
“One side of my scars is different from the other, as if two different people were stitching me up for quickness.
“I’ve practised makeup, without it I feel like a mess.
Joanne says her surgery looks like a ‘five-year-old has done it’[/caption]
“I don’t like going out of the house, if anyone sees me without makeup, they straight away say, you look ‘tired’.
“The fat graft made me look like a cartoon character, it’s changed how I look. It just made my face flat and weird.
“I’ve sent them pictures every month and they kept saying to wait 12 months. Now they’re just ignoring me.”
Now, the mum wants to raise awareness of the risks involved with operations abroad.
Joanne said the surgery – which included as blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift – has knocked her confidence[/caption]
She was left with a ‘wobbly turkey neck’ after the botched lift[/caption]
Joanne said: “What made me suspicious was before I went in is that I couldn’t find any before and after photographs of the surgeon’s work.
“I remember he fobbed me off to the point that I believed him. I was excited about what I was going to have done and ignored my gut feeling.
“I’ve been so frustrated, I want to scream to other girls and say don’t do it.
“The recovery was horrendous, there was no aftercare. That hospital is a butcher’s shop.”
