A woman in Brazil was left wheelchair-bound after a nurse performed a “bizarre” cosmetic procedure on her outside the hospital, in a child’s room at a nursing home.
Ester Maia Corecha da Silva, 25, went to the nurse’s house for treatments to eliminate abdominal fat and cellulite: harmless, bulging flesh along her thighs, hips and buttocks.
Although Ms. Da Silva initially found it strange to have the procedure performed in a private home, she trusted the credentials of the nurse, who also claimed to be a beautician.
However, a few hours later, the mother of one of his children was rushed to the hospital because her buttocks became swollen and she developed debilitating pain.
A month later, Ms Da Silva is still in a wheelchair as it hurts too much to get up or walk and says she needs “(physical) therapy and treatment to be able to walk again and get back to my normal life”.
Ester Maia Corecha da Silva, 25, suffered so much pain from a knock-off cosmetic procedure that she cannot get out of a wheelchair.
“I need physical therapy and treatment to be able to walk again and return to my normal life,” Da Silva said.
Ms Da Silva said she noticed something was wrong within hours of the procedure.
Later that night, he told the nurse that the “products” used in the procedure were leaching from his skin.
The skin quickly became severely inflamed, causing intense pain, prompting Ms Da Silva to go to hospital.
After arriving at the emergency room, she had imaging of the affected areas, and the scans revealed cysts and abnormal tissue called nodules that had spread to her tailbone, the small, curved bone at the bottom of her spine.
“The doctors said that this product can migrate, it could even reach my feet,” he told local media.
Da Silva’s condition is reportedly so severe that she is unable to care for her autistic daughter and requires the help of her mother, Cristiana Maia.
Mrs Maia said: “Seeing her (my daughter) in a wheelchair today is very painful.”
It is not clear exactly what procedure Ms Da Silva had undergone, but there are several treatments that are not recommended to remove cellulite due to a lack of evidence of their effectiveness or potential dangers.
Mesotherapy, for example, involves receiving a series of injections into areas with cellulite.
These needles can be filled with anything from hormones and enzymes to caffeine and herbal extracts.
It is unclear exactly what Da Silva had done, although there are very few approved and effective treatments for cellulite.
These are believed to break down fat cells in the body. However, there are precautions.
“Because each practitioner uses a unique combination of ingredients, there is no way to know which ingredients are effective (if any),” states the American Academy of Dermatology Association.
Dr. Fábio Santiago, a plastic surgeon in Brazil, told local media: “Apart from hyaluronic acid, there is no other substance that is considered safe for adding volume to the buttocks.”
Other substances “are considered extremely harmful to our body,” causing an “intense inflammatory reaction” that can cause severe pain.
Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the body’s connective tissues to keep areas such as the eyes and skin hydrated.
Products with hyaluronic acid, such as creams, can improve the appearance of cellulite, but they do not eliminate it completely.
The police are investigating the case.