Botched And Negligent Dermal Lip Filler Injury Claims

By Danielle Nicholson. Last updated 7th June 2023. Dermal fillers are popular at the moment and seen as a quick way to reduce the appearance of wrinkles in the lips, cheeks, nose and other wrinkle lines. They generally are swift and successful, but if they go wrong you may need to consider a dermal lip filler compensation claim against the practitioner or business who completed the treatment.

Advice.co.uk is a personal injury and medical negligence claims specialist who is able to help you make dermal filler injury claims that have happened anywhere in the UK.

If you’d like to begin a claim today, please call us on 0161 696 9685 and speak with a member of our specially trained team.

If you want to know more about lip fillers and the possible reasons for claiming first, then please carry on reading.

Dermal lip filler negligence compensation guide

Dermal lip filler negligence compensation guide

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What Are Dermal Lip Fillers?

Dermal fillers are injections into the skin that fill wrinkles and creases which are either temporary or permanent, depending on the filler used.

When used in the lips and cheeks they can be used to increase volume rather than just to fill wrinkles.

The different types of filler currently in use are:

  • Collagen fillers – these are effective for up to 4 months
  • Hyaluronic acid fillers – the effective period is between 4 and 6 months
  • Calcium Hydroxylapatite fillers – these can last for around 18 months
  • Poly-L-lactic acid fillers – also known as PPLA fillers. The injections can be given over a few months but can last for up to 2 years
  • Polymethylmethacrylate beads – also known as PMMA fillers. These are dermal fillers that have a permanent effect.

Treatments usually take around 45 minutes and can be applied with a local anaesthetic (either by cream or injection). They aren’t usually painful but can be a little uncomfortable. Following the treatment, you may notice a small amount of swelling, tenderness and redness for around a day following the procedure.

Calculating Compensation For Botched Or Negligent Dermal Lip Filler Injuries

There are websites which offer a medical negligence compensation calculator or personal injury compensation calculator for visitors, but a lot of claims have too many factors for calculators to be accurate.

In the table below you can see some possibly relevant injuries and their compensation awards. These figures have been taken from guidelines produced by a legal body known as the Judicial College:

Injury and severityNotesValue
Facial scarring (a)Very severe scarring. Higher compensation awarded to younger victims.£29,780 to £97,330
Facial scarring (b)Less severe scarring. Serious scarring and psychological effects£17,960 to £48,420
Facial scarring (c)Significant scarring. Injuries that could be remedied through the use of plastic surgery£9,110 to £30,090
Facial scarring (d)Less significant scarring. Includes scars that can be hidden or masked. £3,950 to £13,740
Anxiety DisorderModerately severe cases. Where the claimant has suffered mood problems or had their sleep heavily affected£23,150 to £59,860
Anxiety DisorderModerate cases. Where despite suffering mentally initially, the claimant is now recovering well£8,180 to £23,150
Psychiatric DamageModerately severe cases. Mental distress preventing a person from coping in life or working.£19,070 to £54,830
Psychiatric DamageModerate cases. Where the person is recovering well despite initial mental harm£5,860 to £19,070

Remember, this is just one part of a claim, we’ll cover other elements that you can claim in the next section. For a more accurate estimate of your compensation based on your circumstances, call us today.

I Was Injured By Negligent Dermal Lip Fillers, What Can I Claim?

Compensation for your botched lip fillers may consist of general and special damages. General damages compensate you for the physical pain and mental suffering caused when lip filler has gone wrong as a result of negligence. In the previous section, we provided a list of compensation brackets for different injuries taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).

Special damages compensate you for the financial losses incurred due to the injuries you suffered. To claim special damages, you should submit evidence of your financial losses, such as receipts and invoices.

Examples of the financial losses you could be compensated for under special damages include:

  • The cost of corrective surgery.
  • Loss of earnings, including past, present and future losses.
  • The costs of medications, including prescriptions and over-the-counter tablets.
  • Travel expenses, such as taxi fares to attend medical appointments.

If you have any questions about what losses you could recover as part of your personal injury claim, please get in touch with an advisor from our team.

Am I Eligible To Claim For Negligent Or Botched Dermal Filler Injuries?

In order to be eligible to make a claim for injuries suffered in a botched lip filler procedure, you will need to be able to prove that your injuries were caused by negligence on the part of the people performing the cosmetic surgery.

Negligence can generally mean:

  • They either failed to take necessary actions they were required to
  • They performed a harmful action that they were not supposed to, leading to your injury.

Examples of negligence in a botched lip filler could be:

  • A procedural error, such as accidentally hitting an artery
  • Using harmful or unsafe substances
  • Failure to perform a consultation to inform you of any risks before performing the procedure

If your procedure for dermal fillers had gone wrong because of actions such as these, you could be eligible to claim for your injuries. Please get in touch with one of our advisers for information on how to prove negligence in your claim and for information on claiming compensation for lip fillers gone wrong in the UK.

How Long Do You Have To Claim For A Lip Filler Gone Wrong?

After a lip filler gone wrong, you might be wondering how long you have to begin a claim. The time frame in which you have to issue court proceedings is referred to as the limitation period. As per the Limitation Act 1980, this is typically three years from the date you suffered botched lips as a result of the surgery.

Additionally, you could have three years from the date of knowledge to take action after botched lip filler. This refers to scenarios where you have suffered harm, but you may be unaware until a later date that you were injured.

There can be other exceptions to the time limit for when you can bring forward a claim. If you would like to learn more, get in touch and we’ll be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Furthermore, we could put you in touch with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.

What Should You Do After Botched Or Negligent Dermal Filler Injuries?

As with any medical negligence claim, there are a number of things you can do following negligent treatment which will make claiming compensation easier:

  • Visit a doctor to receive an assessment and treatment for any injuries sustained. We will be able to use the medical records as evidence to base the claim on.
  • Photograph your injuries or ask somebody else to do this for you.
  • Report the injuries to the treatment centre and ask them for a copy of the accident report that they log.
  • If anybody chaperoned you while you were undergoing treatment or in a consultation prior to treatment, ask them to write a witness statement about what they saw and what was said in any consultation. Include their contact details as well.
  • You might consider asking a different practitioner for a second opinion. If they offer an opinion on whether the treatment was carried out negligently, you could use this as further supporting evidence.
  • Keep a note of any costs that are incurred because of the injuries you’ve sustained.

These steps can provide crucial evidence and make your claim easier.

Common Injuries From The Negligent Application Of Dermal Fillers

There are a number of common injuries that can occur following dermal filler treatment. The list below isn’t conclusive, so don’t worry if your injury isn’t listed, we can still help.

The symptoms or injuries you might sustain include:

  • Swelling
  • Rashes
  • Lumps forming under the skin
  • Filler not staying in the correct place (i.e. it moves under the skin)
  • Bruising
  • Itching
  • Infections
  • Tissue death, blindness (and permanent blindness) or a pulmonary embolism (which is rare) because the filler blocks a blood vessel.

Obviously, some of these are very serious conditions, whereas others will heal fairly rapidly.  Regardless, if they’ve been caused by negligence you could make a compensation claim against the practitioner or salon that treated you.

I Had An Allergic Reaction To My Dermal Filler, Can I Claim Compensation?

If you were warned about the possible side effects or reactions that may happen when undergoing the treatment, then you wouldn’t be able to claim. If, however, you weren’t made aware of possible allergic reactions, then you would be able to begin a claim for any injuries.

It would be good to get a witness statement from anybody who was with you when you were given advice prior to the treatment.

Can You Claim Compensation If You Have Signed A Waiver Or Disclaimer?

Even when a waiver has been provided and signed, you still can make a claim if the practitioner has acted negligently. They are still bound by a duty of care to take care of you and ensure your treatment meets expected standards and procedures, so a waiver will not stop you claiming in this instance.

You may find that the defendant tries to say the waiver protects them which is why you should use a medical negligence specialist, like Advice.co.uk, to support you when making a claim against them. We have the experience to counter any arguments, such as waivers, when negligence has occurred.

My Dermal Filler Treatment Was Not Carried Out By A Nurse, Can I Claim Compensation?

Botched dermal lip filler

Botched dermal lip filler

This depends entirely on whether you knew that the person who carried out the dermal filler treatment wasn’t qualified i.e. if you allowed a friend to attempt the treatment and you knew they weren’t qualified, then you’d both be equally responsible so no claim could be made.

If you did not know that the person who administered the treatment wasn’t qualified to do so and you’re injured in any way, then you’d have grounds to begin a claim.

The government now provides a register of approved non-surgical cosmetic treatment providers, so it would be worth checking before undergoing any treatment. We’ve included a link to their website at the bottom of this guide.

Please call us to explain the specifics of your injuries and who treated you and we’ll consider your claim.

How To Start A Personal Injury Claim For Dermal Filler Negligence

Quite simply, the easiest way to begin a dermal lip filler negligence claim is to pick up the phone and contact us, but before you do, you should try to gather the required evidence that was detailed earlier in this document.

We’ll then assess your claim, the supporting evidence, the injuries you sustained and then work out if there’s a good chance of making a successful claim. We’ll happily provide you with an estimate at this point if we believe you could win compensation and provide any other legal advice you need prior to making a claim.

Lip Injection Gone Wrong – Help From No Win No Fee Lawyers

If a procedure to give you lip fillers has gone wrong because of negligence, then you may be owed compensation. If so, working with a solicitor may be helpful. All of the solicitors on our panel can work with you on a No Win No Fee basis.

They may offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement which is a kind of No Win No Fee contract. This typically means that, following a successful claim, you pay your solicitor a small, legally capped percentage from your settlement. If your claim fails, you don’t need to pay this fee.

To find out about eligibility to claim for bad lip filler jobs, get in touch with our advisors today. They’re available24/7 to answer any questions you may have regarding your claim.

Advice For Victims Of Negligent Beauty Treatment

We hope that having read this guide about dermal lip filler negligence claims you have enough information to know what to do next. For more information, we’ve provided further relevant advice below:

Dermal Fillers Guide – an NHS guide regarding the process used when applying dermal fillers and advice on how to find a practitioner.

Cosmetic Surgery Advice – a more generic guide from the NHS about other cosmetic procedures.

Register of Approved Practitioners – government-approved list of providers of non-surgical facial treatments.

Workplace Rights

No Win No Fee Claims

Other Medical Negligence Guides

If you require any further information, please get in touch with one of our advisers using the contact number above.

Guide by TE

Edited by DEG