These days, changing aspects of one’s face—such as the lips, nose, cheeks, or forehead—is quite common. It’s easily accessible, and many so-called specialists operate within the cosmetic surgery industry.
However, not all of them are legitimate, and it’s extremely important to always go to a qualified doctor who knows what they are doing. That’s something Gina Anderson from Oregon realized, but sadly, too late.
Anderson – a neurologist – wanted to “look better” when she turned 40 and decided to make a few changes. A colleague helped her with cosmetic fillers, only for things to take a horrific turn years later.
Gina ended up with severe inflammation under her right eye, and it was later discovered that she had been injected with silicone. The problem only worsened until Anderson was left with a gaping hole in her cheek.
Gina later turned to doctors on the television series Botched for the help she needed to repair her face. This is what happened – and what Gina Anderson looks like now.
Being comfortable in your own skin is one of the most important things in life. It doesn’t matter if that means being bigger, skinnier, taller or shorter, bald, covered in hair, or anything else related to appearance.
Gina Anderson – fillers going wrong
Sure, we all have things we’re not 100 percent happy with, but in the end, feeling comfortable and accepted for who you are is essential in life. The key is to accept yourself, not chase acceptance from others. We will always reiterate that you should do whatever makes you happy and comfortable. However, we also advise seeing a qualified specialist if you are ever considering plastic surgery—no matter the reason. Your body is at risk, so do your research carefully.
For Gina Anderson from Oregon, proper research would have helped. She works as a neurologist, and when she turned 40, she wanted to do something to “look better.”
“A colleague offered to do fillers for me, and it was like ‘well, I’m in my 40s, I’m going to look a little bit better,’” she said on the reality TV series Botched. Gina believed she was receiving Restylane or Juvederm, two common cosmetic fillers. However, it turned out she was injected with silicone, which changed everything.
Silicone inflamed her eye and cheeks
Due to the silicone, her right eye and part of her cheek became severely deformed. Not only were the injections illegal, but her eye and cheek became badly inflamed.
Although she had injections in both cheeks, only one side was affected by the silicone. In the end, Gina and her husband concluded she had likely been given two different injections with two different substances.
Four years later, things had become extremely serious. The effects of the illegal silicone injections had fully emerged. The inflammation was diagnosed as a granuloma, which is usually caused when immune cells cluster together and form nodules at the site of infection or inflammation.
According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, granulomas are defensive reactions the body uses to isolate foreign material and prevent the spread of infection. In principle, Gina’s granuloma was trying to protect her body—but in reality, it became something out of a nightmare.
“It just went boom”
Within days, as Gina recalled, the granuloma rapidly expanded. Then it suddenly burst open.
“All of a sudden, it just went boom, and there’s just huge granulomas,” Gina shared.
At that point, Gina knew she needed help. She underwent five corrective surgeries to remove the silicone, but none were successful, and the granulomas kept returning. Eventually, she was left with a gaping hole in her cheek.
“I had to close [my practice],” Gina said.
“You can’t sleep, and you’re in constant pain. It’s hard to think on your feet all the time. This isn’t just me looking slightly pretty. I’m in agony, I don’t sleep, my hair started thinning like hair loss. I just started feeling weak and fatigued. It’s been a nightmare.”
Gina didn’t get the help she desperately needed, so she turned to Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif on the reality show Botched. “When you get a granuloma, which is a foreign body inflammatory reaction, that typically happens between six months to a year,” Dr. Dubrow explained.
“The fact that Gina didn’t start developing those granulomas until way later indicates it’s a very slow, smoldering chronic inflammatory response that could be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to treat.”
Gina Anderson – ‘Botched’
Even though Gina’s five surgeries temporarily closed the hole in her cheek, she required two additional procedures at the Botched clinic. Doctors took fat from her abdomen and placed it under her cheek skin to restore volume.
Dr. Paul Nassif led Gina’s surgeries. During the first procedure, he said he found “unusual things.” He explained that he removed what looked like “a piece of gauze” from her face.
Afterward, Gina said her pain was slowly improving and she was finally able to sleep.
“I’m just really grateful now that I have a chance to reclaim my life because things were starting to look dismal. This is the best I’ve felt in a long time, so I’m just really crossing my fingers that this is really the end of my personal hell.”
But the relief didn’t last. Unfortunately, Gina experienced complications after the first procedure, and swelling in her cheek returned. Dr. Nassif explained the issue was due to recurrent seromas, and Gina had no choice but to undergo surgery again.
“My only alternative at this point is to open her up again, look for the capsule of the seroma, and remove it completely, and hopefully, this will be it,” Nassif said.
This is Gina Anderson from ‘Botched’ today
“For some reason, Gina’s body is constantly producing fluid in her cheek following her first surgery. Why is this happening? I don’t know,” he added. “This just shows that you can never predict what will happen with healing after operating on a face that has had silicone injected into it.”
The second time around, Gina finally got the result she wanted. She was “unbelievably happy,” and her face was almost completely back to normal. The doctors did a remarkable job, and Gina was ready to begin her new life.
Looking at the latest photo after her second procedure on Botched, it’s clear she is happy. Gina looks fantastic. “My energy level is increasing, and my mood has improved,” she said. “My hair loss has stopped, and my hair is starting to grow back.”
She added, “My thought process is getting faster. It’s just a miracle. It’s life-changing.”
Gina really does look amazing now, don’t you think?
Plastic surgery should only be performed by a qualified specialist, and anyone considering a procedure should always consult a trusted expert.
While some people choose to change aspects of their appearance, we should also strive to feel confident and comfortable in who we are. In the end, we all matter, and there is always something to be proud of.
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