A woman in the UK suffered a painful and debilitating allergic reaction for weeks after spending more than $1,200 on veneers last year.
Lily Lindsay, 29, decided to have the procedure after spending her whole life being self-conscious about her smile, especially her two front teeth, so she spent the money on composite veneers last August.
What happened next changed her life.
“My veneers gave me extremely dry and flaky skin – like elephant skin,” Lindsay told the South West News Service.
“No doctor could help me, so I ended up on anti-depressants,” she continued. “It was absolutely eating me up.”
Lindsay explained that she was inspired by various Influencers and other TikTok friends to get her new teeth and did it right before the perfect occasion, her best friend’s wedding.
She was thrilled with the results after the procedure, but two weeks later, she started experiencing red, itchy eyes accompanied by dry lips and skin.
She went to see a doctor, who believed she had typical problem dermatitis, or irritated skin due to various environmental factors.
Her skin continued to worsen over time, so doctors thought she was suffering from an eczema flare-up and prescribed a steroid cream.
“Every day, my face would get a little more crusty, itchy and red,” Lindsay described to SWNS. “It was so painful under my arms – I couldn’t even put my hands down or shower.”
The 29-year-old tried her best to try and cool down her inflamed skin. She tried new diets and creams, but ultimately nothing did the trick, leaving her in what she describes as a “vicious cycle.”
It affected her in every way, especially her mental health. Lindsey claimed her mother couldn’t stand the sight of her.
“I couldn’t do my job, I didn’t want to see my friend … I couldn’t be bothered to feel like this,” she said. “I was so down on how I looked. It got to the point where I just didn’t want to be here anymore. I felt like a failure.”
In January, her allergy began attacking her immune system, causing her to suffer from dizziness, ringing in her ears and black spots in her vision.
She began to piece together the idea that her symptoms might be related to her veneers, since they started two weeks after the surgery.
A blood test later revealed that the inflammation was inside her body, not her skin, caused by the resin used in the false teeth. It is not unheard of in patients who received veneers.
“Allergic reactions to composites tend to be caused by the resin used in these products,” health expert Dr. Helen Evans-Howells.
“Usually, this would trigger contact dermatitis, which is caused by a delayed allergic reaction,” Evans-Howells continued. “This would tend to present with irritation at the site of facial or oral ulcers. Occasionally, reactions such as eczema or swelling of the eyes may occur.”
Luckily, Lindsay was able to return to the dentist to have them all removed—a cost her doctor volunteered to cover.
Now, her face is completely cleared.
However, he is now urging others to pay attention and believes he should have signed a waiver before getting veneers.
“I don’t ever remember seeing or signing anything that said I might have an allergic reaction – it’s not something people really think about,” she said.
“We need to give composite veneers and soft fillings the same level of publicity as gel nail polish – dentists need to advertise the risks.”
