Blue Water Spa permanently disfigured my face and refuses responsibility.
In May of 2021, I suffered a visible and permanent facial defect as a direct result of cosmetic filler treatments I had at Blue Water Spa from employee Mari Lippig.
Two separate physicians have confirmed that the injury was a result of her poor technique.
During my first appointment, Mari suggested filler below my cheekbones. I agreed to 2 vials. In the middle of the treatment, Mari suggested 2 more vials. I was in pain and distracted, but I agreed, for a total cost of $3,200.00.
During the treatment, the left side proceeded with bearable discomfort, but when she moved to the right side, there was such intense pain that I nearly fainted. Mari stopped the procedure, adjusted the chair to lay me flat, elevated my feet, and got me a can of juice. (I have never had this happen when receiving filler from other providers.)
Mari's demeanor after this incident changed. She appeared nervous and distracted and quickly completed my treatment and rushed me out of the room. Although still faint from the procedure, I paid and left. When I arrived home and looked in the mirror, I saw a deep linear furrow and large indentation below the right cheekbone in the area where I received treatment from Mari.
Alarmed, I decided to wait a few days, hoping the appearance would improve, but it worsened daily, so I called Blue Water Spa early in the morning of Wednesday, May 5th. I was given Mari's email address, and I sent her a photo of my right cheek area and voiced my concerns. Mari responded and told me that what I was experiencing was normal, and would resolve within two weeks when the swelling subsided. I made a follow-up appointment for Wednesday, May 19th at 2:00.
When I arrived for the appointment, Mari became nervous and flustered after looking at my right cheek area. She said she would fix it with more filler. When she finished, she said "it looks great" but did not show it to me. Mari took numerous photos, which she also did not show to me, and she again rushed me out.
Upon arriving home, I could see that not only was the problem NOT resolved, but had been worsened. Two photos from Thursday, May 20th clearly show a linear defect straight from the cannula entry point. Clearly, there was further damage from the second treatment.
On the 20th, frightened by the appearance on the day after the second procedure, I sent a summary to my physician, who responded that there was definitely a problem. I made an appointment for June 18th to find options for treatment to repair the damaged area.
Friday, June 18th, my doctor examined the area and advised me that more filler might help to camouflage the damage created by Mari. In addition to the $3,200 I spent at Blue Water, I expended an additional $1,300 on Friday, June 18th toward correcting this issue, which did not resolve it. My physician then suggested I take action against Blue water Spa as the injury did not appear repairable.
Mari never followed up with me after the second treatment on May 19th. My doctor said it was extremely unethical to upsell me in the middle of performing a painful procedure. Mari was well aware that she damaged my face, ergo her demeanor at the end of my first procedure and during the second.
Over the ensuing weeks and months, all I requested from Blue Water Spa was a refund for the filler treatments and the cost of the further treatment necessary to try and cover the injury. They refused, despite my physician sending them two letters that their employee's actions caused me an injury that was apparently permanent.
I am posting this three years later because I still have a visible injury and Blue Water Spa of Raleigh has denied responsibility for it. I did not request anything excessive from them - only to refund me the money I paid for this horribly-botched job for which I was told there were grounds for a lawsuit by a personal injury attorney I consulted.
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