By Aimee Braniff Cree
THIS WOMA N had liposuction to remove double chin TWICE as the first surgery left so much fat behind that the second op resulted in her face bleeding from the inside leaving her fearing she was staring death in the face.
Social Media Influencer Robyn McManus (28) from Dublin, Ireland, got the fright of her life after botched chin liposuction led to a terrifying hematoma that led to her face swelling up uncontrollably.
Robyn went to one of the leading clinics in Ireland in January 2023 and paid over 6000 Euro to get liposuction on her double chin that had been an insecurity of hers all her life.
After her surgery things were not healing the way Robyn expected them too and she was shocked to notice she still had fat under her chin that had not been removed as promised.
Despite following all the doctor’s aftercare and completing her lymphatic drainage, the area she had liposuction on was still “a double chin”.
She contacted the clinic and the surgeon who performed her surgery had left the practice, but after finding there was indeed fat left behind during her last procedure another doctor at the clinic agreed to fix it for Robyn free of charge.
This turned out to be worse than the first time as one night after the second surgery Robyn was washing her face when it started swelling rapidly, she ran down to her family, she was terrified as were they.
Her stepmum immediately put her in the car and rushed her to nearby Tallaght Hospital as they knew the journey would be quicker than by ambulance.
During the car journey her stepmum was checking her breathing and ensured Robyn was able to speak coherently.
A CT revealed she had a haematoma and was bleeding internally in her face.
Robyn joked in a TikTok that the swelling got so bad she resembled Lord Farquaad, but she is now on the other side of this ordeal and could not be happier with her snatched jawline.
“I had chin liposuction in January 2023 in a leading clinic in Ireland,” said Robyn.
“I had this because I suffer with PCOS as a result of this look, and this has an impact on my weight management.
“Also ‘double chins’ really run in my family, and I honestly don’t remember a time where I didn’t have one.
“When I was in my third year of secondary school, I was the victim of a mass bullying attack where a group of teens from a local school sent mass text messages to my phone with the contents: double chin.
“I was sitting mock exams at this time, and it really impacted my mental health and self confidence.
“From that day on it was my biggest insecurity and I always dreamed of a day where I wouldn’t have it anymore.”
Robyn described how she went under general anaesthetic and had a renuvion to tighten the area. Unfortunately, the surgeon did not remove enough fat.
“I followed all the aftercare and had lymphatic drainage massages as the surgeon advised, the bandages were removed and just swelling remained,” she said.
“That surgeon left the clinic, and I then had a follow up appointment with my new surgeon, he then agreed there was fat left and decided to redo the surgery free of charge.
“During the time in between surgeries I was feeling extremely deflated, I had taken out a loan that I will be paying back for years and was so disheartened that after everything, I still had a double chin.
“I spent a lot of money on massages to try and reduce swelling to no avail. I was also working really hard to lose weight, but my chin was not getting any better.
“It was also a very difficult time because I had shared my journey via TikTok, I had people asking every day for updates and telling me to return to the clinic and even to sue them.
“Once the clinic had agreed to redo the surgery I burst into tears in front of my new surgeon and clinic manager as I was so relieved, little did I know I was going to be rushed to hospital a week later.
“A week after the second surgery I was brushing my teeth and washing my face and swelling appeared rapidly and I was quickly rushed to the emergency department.
“As I noticed how terrified my stepmum was I began to believe I was going to die, I went from petrified to calm as I began to accept that something was seriously wrong, and I might not make it
“I remember telling myself ‘Don’t die while you are in the car wait until you get through the doors to hospital while my stepmum would have to park the car.’
“I arrived at A & E and was rushed through triage and immediately seen by doctors and nurses and was sent to the radiology department for an urgent CT.
“They advised it was a bleed known as a haematoma.
“I thought staying in Ireland instead of flying abroad was the safe option, but things happen no matter where in the world you are.
“Although this procedure did not go straight forward to me, I am still absolutely delighted with the result and can’t believe my face shape when I look in the mirror.
“It’s not perfect as I have some remaining fat under the muscle, but I wasn’t looking for a miracle I was looking to be able to accept my face.
“My stomach no longer sinks when I catch a glimpse of my side profile so for that I am incredibly grateful.
“I have lost a significant amount of weight since this surgery, and I truly believe that the chin lipo helped as I’m beginning to love myself and therefore treat my body with more love.
“I suppose I would want to make people informed of the risks, there are still risks while having my procedure whether at home or abroad however in my case being at home meant I had aftercare and follow up, something I may not have had if I flew to another country.”
ENDS
