Oops I did it (again): Patient experiences of complications after non-invasive cosmetic procedures

Whereas several quantitative studies have measured the impact of complications after cosmetic procedures on patients' lives, little qualitative research is available. To address this gap, we interviewed 20 patients attending a special filler complication consultation hour in the Netherlands. We conducted a reflexive thematic analysis, which resulted in three main themes: (1) complications: a patient's journey; (2) complications: the impact of procedures gone wrong; and (3) complications: a filler-free future? Throughout the interviews, the multifaceted impact of the complications was illustrated, which ultimately also demonstrated participants' negotiation of (negative) experiences with complications after cosmetic procedures within a neoliberal, consumerist environment. Within this context, particular discourses were advanced as others were obscured and/or rejected. Most significantly, issues of stigmatization and shame were tangible throughout the interviews as participants felt they (must) accept responsibility for the consequences of their own consumerist decision to undergo cosmetic procedures. Moreover, the participants' decision to undergo further cosmetic procedures after their complication illustrate the normality, or even normativity, of contemporary beauty practices. A final note regards some important implications for the industry in relation to providing adequate complication care.