Jemma Lucy is warning people about getting lip and body fillers, explaining how easy it is to become a so-called “qualified” practitioner.
The 36-year-old reality star is used to cosmetic procedures, having had years of Botox, three Brazilian bum lifts, and two breast surgeries.
While people in the UK have been cautioned about the risks of getting these treatments abroad, Jemma revealed that she saw unsafe practices happening right here in the UK.
In an interview with MailOnline, Jemma shared that after years of getting fillers in her lips and hips, she decided to learn how to give the treatments herself. She went to a salon in Manchester that offered training courses and was shocked to find out that for £6,000, she could get a diploma and be considered “qualified” to do the injections after just two days of training.
Jemma explained, “I thought, ‘Two days? Is that really all it takes for me to inject people?’ But I decided to go for it.”
She completed the course, and on the last day, the instructor started showing them how to get all the products they needed, like fillers and Botox. Jemma noticed that one girl was given products she hadn’t been trained to use yet.
“There are different levels of training for different qualifications. For example, the first one is for lips and cheeks, and the next is for under eyes and noses. It seemed a bit shady,” she said.
Jemma also learned how to get unlicensed products, which are not considered safe in the UK, like those from Korea and China. “They’re illegal here, but people were using them to save money,” she added.
When she asked how to do things safely, the response was dismissive, like, “Just do it this way. This is how everyone does it.”
Jemma said, “But my morals are different. I wouldn’t want to do that.”
Although she wanted to continue her career in aesthetics, Jemma found it hard to get legal and licensed products needed in the UK.
“It’s crazy how difficult it is,” she explained. “I struggled with the prescription process because you need a doctor to prescribe Botox, and then you have to go to the pharmacy to pick it up.
“It’s a long process, which is why so many people cut corners.”
After realizing that the training and the way things were done were not right, she decided to stop pursuing it.
Jemma also felt scared because she didn’t have enough training. She recalled, “When I used to inject people’s lips, I thought, ‘Oh my God, if this goes wrong, I’d just call 999. I wouldn’t know what to do.’
“Knowing what to do because someone told you is very different from actually doing it yourself for the first time.”
In the UK, there are no required qualifications for aesthetic practitioners, which means anyone can take a training course and then perform dermal filler treatments. Jemma described these practitioners as “glorified beauty therapists.”
Despite this, she still went ahead and got dermal filler in her hips. At first, everything went well, but then she had a bad experience that left her unable to walk.
“I think too much local anesthetic was injected. I literally couldn’t walk and couldn’t leave the salon. I collapsed onto the sofa,” she explained.
Even after that, Jemma continued to get more filler but ended up with an infection that caused “severe” hip pain.
“It felt like someone was holding a hot iron on my hip. It was horrible and got really red and lumpy. It looked like I had a tennis ball under my skin. It was disgusting to look at and really painful,” she said.
She also experienced really bad fevers, felt sick, and had hot and cold sweats that came on suddenly.
Shockingly, even with her serious symptoms, her aesthetician told her she didn’t need medical help and should just take paracetamol for relief.
After being in pain for days, Jemma decided to get a second opinion. Her doctor told her she was in a “dangerous” condition and had a “serious” infection.
As a result, Jemma had to have the filler drained from her body by a doctor, which left her looking “deformed.”
“I had an inward curve in my body because of where the filler was, and it also destroyed all my natural fat cells.
“I had a dent the size of a tennis ball on my bum, and it looked really unattractive.”
Jemma, who makes a good income from her OnlyFans business, shared that her experiences with fillers started to affect her work. She realized that getting more filler could lead to another infection, so she’s been working hard at the gym to build muscle naturally.
She expressed her shock about the whole situation, saying, “You should be medically trained to do aesthetic work and inject people. The industry is just not regulated properly at all.”
Now, Jemma sees Dr. Robert, a licensed doctor on Harley Street, and she said she would never go back to seeing aestheticians who don’t have medical qualifications.
Jemma became famous on Ex On The Beach and has often been in the tabloids for her bikini photos and nude selfies. She gained wider recognition in 2017 when she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in sixth place.
Jemma also took part in the modeling TV show Signed by Katie Price alongside Rylan Clark.
Last year, complaints about non-surgical cosmetic procedures, like Botox, reached record highs. Reports show that complaints about bad lip fillers and Botox have increased by nearly 14% in one year, with over 3,000 complaints made in 2023 alone.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons warned that patients are experiencing serious issues, like skin loss and even blindness, due to poorly done procedures.
There are also worries about fake products being used. About 31% of people who thought they were getting Botox reported that they were injected with something else instead.
Botulinum toxin (with Botox being the most well-known brand) costs between £100 and £350. It is usually injected directly into the forehead to reduce the appearance of wrinkles for up to six months.
Other popular treatments include lip fillers, where substances like collagen or hyaluronic acid are injected to make the lips fuller.
These fillers usually cost around £200, and the effects can last for up to 18 months.
Last year, government officials promised to take action against unregulated cosmetic procedures and said they would introduce licenses for treatments like Botox and fillers.
This could mean setting age limits and restrictions to help protect patients from harm.
However, some campaigners feel that the government isn’t moving quickly enough to make these changes.