I got filler to hide ageing lines and was horrified when it caused my nostril to FALL off – now I have to wear a prosthetic to cover it

By William On Nov 27, 2023

A woman who got facial filler to hide her ‘aging’ smile lines after repeatedly being mistaken for her hubby’s mother was left shocked when it went wrong and half her nose fell off.

Krysta Carson, from Seattle, Washington, says her doctor administered a “clumsy” injection into a major blood vessel with too much filler, causing her flesh to die and then “melt” two weeks later.

The 52-year-old decided to get filler after being mistaken for her husband’s mother three times in two weeks, despite having used Botox for almost two decades.

Krysta says she has had filler injected into her smile lines annually since 2016 and loved the results, before a vascular occlusion caused the skin in her mouth, nose and around her left nostril to become necrotic and fall off.

Shocking footage shows her entire nostril turning black and ‘rotten’ before Krysta could move it as it was barely attached to her face.

Krysta Carson (pictured) from Seattle, Washington used procedures like Botox for years without any problems

But after a doctor injected filler into a major blood vessel in her face, she looked disfigured

Now she uses a specialized prosthetic piece on her nostril, which has completely changed her appearance

Krysta (pictured) was inspired to undergo the procedure after people started thinking she was her husband’s mother (she’s 10 years older than him)

The professional entertainer says she ‘lost the will to live’ after the shocking deformity destroyed her 30-year career, despite her doctor claiming she would ‘be fine’ within six weeks of the incident.

Krysta says her husband, 42-year-old Redd Gill, luckily found a facial prosthetics specialist after staying up all night doing research.

Krysta shared her prosthetic journey on TikTok to warn others about the potential dangers of dermal fillers and show how she used makeup and jewelry to hide her scars.

Krysta said: ‘I had been using Botox since the 90’s and loved it and had great results.

‘My husband is 10 years younger than me and after he came to live here with me [in Seattle]in a period of about two weeks i was mistaken for his mother three times.

‘I don’t know if it was my neck or my cheek, or what the age difference gave away, but I had to do something about it. In 2015 I started looking for filler.

‘I felt like I was really safe and in good hands, so I signed the consent form, which only contained some warnings about bruising and swelling and a risk of infection.

“I didn’t see anything else that concerned me.”

Krysta before she had the botched injection that resulted in her having to get a prosthetic nostril in her face

Pictured a day after the filler was injected into a major blood vessel, and it’s hard to tell that anything is wrong

However, days after the injection, the misplaced injection began to cause the skin to rot and fall off

Her condition worsened, with her flesh continuing to rot and fall off after the misplaced injection

Krysta’s nostril eventually fell off some time after the injection, causing her flesh to rot and fall off

Krysta says she visited her doctor in 2020 for a routine filler session before a wedding performance, but instead received an injection that left her permanently disfigured.

Krysta said, “When I got home that day [October 12 2020] I started to feel a strange, numbing, tingling sensation. And the [my face] really started to swell and I started slurring my words.

‘It kept getting worse. This morning I called the doctor’s office and they told me to come in right away.

‘The doctor examined me, left the room and came back very nervous. He told me he hit a blood vessel.

‘I was terrified and confused and just did what they suggested and waited for more information every day when I went back to the office.

Krysta is pictured getting a prosthetic nostril after hers fell off following the misplaced filler shots

‘He still never told me that I could get necrosis and lose parts of my face.

‘He kept saying it would get worse before it got better, but it will probably be fine in about six weeks.

‘I was very shocked when that day came when I was dressing the wounds with the ointment my doctor had given me and I saw the base of my nostril burst and detached from my upper lip.

‘It caused some PTSD watching my face burn, melt and fall off.

‘That was really terrifying. It was Halloween of 2020, the day my entire left nostril came loose and dangled there from a small piece of flesh. I was in shock and terrified.

‘If you hit a blood vessel, it blocks it and freezes it. It is similar to a frostbite injury. The flesh around it simply dies and falls off.

‘I think [the doctor] was extremely clumsy and careless when injecting and because it was such a large quantity and a large blood vessel, it caused extra damage.’

Krysta says that after the injury, her mouth swollen shut, leaving her unable to eat, which led to her losing 30 pounds in just 30 days.

Krysta said, “My whole left nasal passage and the inside of my mouth looked like that too and it felt like it was on fire.

‘I went to another doctor who specializes in reconstruction surgery. He took off my bandage, gave me a mirror and said it wouldn’t grow back.

“That really was a rude awakening. It wasn’t until that day that I really realized that it was just gone.

‘Then I lost my will to live. I knew I couldn’t work. I’ve been working as a model and singer for 30 years and without a whole face you can’t do much.

This is the prosthetic nostril Krysta has been wearing for two years. She calls her prosthetist a ‘genius’

‘I haven’t been able to return to work full-time because I have such terrible breathing and breathing problems with my missing nostril and a shriveled nasal passage.

‘It was a great life until this happened to me. I really miss it.’

Krysta says she couldn’t afford reconstructive surgery and has instead been wearing a prosthetic nostril for more than two years.

She is now saving for new prosthetics that better suit her face.

Krysta said, “I felt relieved when I first saw the prosthetic. I was so relieved and grateful to have a face again. My prosthetic person is a genius.

‘I’m still messed up and scarred and have to wear a fake nostril, but I can live a normal life.

‘It’s attached to a nasal stent, so it’s a breathing tube with a small nostril at the end.

Krysta says she doesn’t know how ‘how’ [she] would have survived all this without the prosthetics

Now Krysta (pictured before the botched injection) wants others to believe these procedures can go wrong so they must be safe

Krysta (wearing the prosthesis) says ‘I think it’s very important that this doesn’t happen to anyone else’

“When I put the prosthesis in, that shriveled, scarred nasal cavity opens up. It is functional as a breathing apparatus.

‘I don’t know how I would have survived all this without the prosthetics. They are great. I can’t wait for new ones.’

Krysta says she stopped all Botox and filler treatments and embraced the natural aging process three years ago.

Krysta said, “It’s very important to me that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. If I used this for years thinking it was completely safe, there might be people who think the same.

“I just want people to be aware of this and choose their doctor wisely, that’s so important.”