Mum-of-one, 58, left upset after £120 fat-melting jabs caused massive infection and left ‘golf ball-sized hole’ in her stomach

Fat-dissolving injections left a mother of one with an abscess the size of a cricket ball in her abdomen, requiring emergency surgery.

Julia Lanni, 58, paid just £120 for 16 Aqualyx injections to target the fat on her stomach – a procedure that can cost up to £400 – in the hope it would boost her body confidence.

But just a week later, the child protection worker from Hertfordshire developed a fist-sized abscess above her navel and had to be rushed to hospital for surgery.

She was forced to pay £2,500 for the cosmetic procedure because she was unable to go to work, leaving her with a golf ball-sized scar on her stomach.

Clinics promote Aqualyx injections as a “non-surgical alternative to liposuction” that also tightens the skin.

Julia Lanni, 58, paid just £120 for 16 Aqualyx injections on her stomach – a procedure that can cost up to £400 – in the hope it would improve her body confidence

But just three days after the procedure she began experiencing severe pain that developed into an abscess

Websites claim the shots work by dissolving the membranes around fat cells, after which the triggers are ‘flushed’ out of the body by the immune system.

Clinics warn that, as with many other procedures, there is a “rare” risk of developing an infection or abscess and of bruising, swelling and pain at the injection site.

“This treatment has definitely changed my life, but not in the way I wanted,” Ms. Lanni admitted.

She said: ‘My self-confidence is even lower than before. My weight was the same after the treatment and I have a scar. The whole experience has been extremely stressful.

‘The abscess was huge. I said to the surgeon “it feels like a baked potato” and he said “it’s worse, it’s like a small cabbage”.

‘I could accept a reaction that requires a course of antibiotics, but an abscess of that size and emergency surgery is not okay.

“All the medical staff I saw said they had never seen anything like it.”

After the treatment, Mrs. Lanni was the same weight as she started and was left with a 4cm scar from the emergency surgery

Ms. Lanni gained 50 pounds after her son was born in 2000 and lost confidence in her appearance when she went through menopause in 2018.

She also said that taking steroids for her health condition, congenital adrenohyperplasia – which causes swelling of the adrenal glands – made it impossible to shed the pounds through conventional means like diet and exercise.

Finally, in July 2023, she discovered the Aqualyx slimming injection and booked a session at a local salon.

The doctor injected 16 shots of the substance into Mrs. Lanni’s abdomen on Tuesday, August 22.

She claims that clinic staff told her to wait three to four days before seeking medical attention if she had an adverse reaction.

Immediately after the injections, she felt pain in her abdomen and started using wet paper towels to combat the heat.

But just three days after the procedure, she began experiencing severe pain.

She said: ‘After a week it was so painful that no one could touch it and I could barely move: it was unbearable.’

On August 29, she went to her doctor, was given antibiotics and told to go to the emergency room.

But Mrs Lanni was in so much pain that she had her friend drive her to Lister Hospital in Stevenage that night.

At 3am, Mrs Lanni underwent emergency surgery for the abscess and then spent the next five weeks packing and dressing the wound at her GP’s office.

“It hurt so much when they touched it, it felt like they had been bitten by hundreds of bees,” she said.

Unable to work, she had to use £2,500 of her savings to survive.

But because she signed a consent form listing an abscess as a possible side effect of the treatment, she cannot claim compensation, she said.

The salon where she worked has now closed.

Ms. Lanni claims she spent more than a month researching the treatment online, but did not see the word abscess listed as a side effect anywhere.

“I think the form I signed was way too general,” she said.

“The therapist said the worst that could happen was that the treatment wouldn’t work. I took her word for it.”

She added: ‘The salon looked clean so I wasn’t worried. It had 5 star reviews and a 10 out of 10 on Trustpilot.

‘We checked it and there were no contraindications to treatment with my steroid medication.

Clinic staff told her to wait three to four days before seeking medical help if she experienced any adverse reaction, she claims.

‘I would advise people to be aware that this treatment can have serious consequences. Think carefully before you get treated and only go to a beautician who has been recommended by someone you know.

‘Do not wait longer than recommended before seeking medical attention and, if possible, start antibiotic treatment before starting treatment.’

Kasim Usmani, a qualified NHS GP who trains healthcare professionals in safe, aesthetic treatments, said: ‘Fat-dissolving injections, like all medical treatments, carry risks.

‘It is important to go to a medically qualified professional who understands the anatomy of the area being injected, as well as the proper depth to apply the product and the correct amount of product.

Unfortunately, many fat-dissolving injections are bought online. They contain questionable ingredients, which can lead to complications such as abscesses, tissue necrosis and damage.

‘These complications also occur with approved, safer products such as Aqualyx, but are significantly reduced when treatment is performed in a controlled, medical environment by a qualified medical professional.’

Aqualyx has been asked for comment.