Skin 'Departed From Skull': Botched Beauty Treatment 'Irreversibly' Damages Woman's Face

A 37-year-old Russian architect suffered "irreversible" skin damage to her face and had her vision permanently affected after she underwent a beauty procedure involving a recently approved Russian drug.

The woman, identified only as Svetlana, was injected with the Russian drug Longidaza following a recommendation from her cosmetologist in March, New York Post reported citing East2West.

Svetlana allegedly sought the operation involving the drug, which was purported to treat everything from pulmonary problems to COVID-induced breathing issues, after her boyfriend joked she looked old.

Longidaza, which has reportedly been widely used in Russia and its neighboring countries for 15 years, was approved for use in many Western countries this year, according to Russia's NTV.

The drug was allegedly supposed to break down excess gel under Svetlana's skin, but it ended up “irreversibly aging her ten years” as her face “shrank like in mummification,” a report by 7News.com.au said.

"My skin sagged like a rag, the face completely departed from the skull," Svetlana, who also received treatments such as gel injections into her cheeks, said.

The ligaments that connected her skin to her skull had disappeared and the skin encircling her eyes was completely dried out within three days, Svetlana claimed.

“It’s like your face is melting and you can’t stop it. Doctors don’t know how to treat it,” the architect said.

Svetlana's surgeon, Dr. Irina Freimanis, reportedly offered to alleviate the side effects by injecting more gel as well as administering more Longidaza. She allegedly did not charge Svetlana for the new treatment.

The fillers were able to ease Svetlana's pain, but they did not mitigate her complications — the damage of which was so severe that surgeons and ophthalmologists warned her vision would be permanently affected.

The damage to Svetlana’s skin turned her into a "recluse" that "stopped leaving the house," as per The Post. Svetlana's boyfriend, whose joke was allegedly the reason why she underwent the procedure in the first place, also left her following the botched operation.

Svetlana allegedly used COVID-19 masks to conceal her scars and large dark glasses as well as a cap to hide her face. She claimed she would have never gone to a beautician if she knew this could happen.

Svetlana later checked information on her doctor on the internet and found that she was not alone in her affliction. She proceeded to report the incident to the Russian Investigative Committee (RIC), where a medical exam confirmed the damage to her face.

"[Longidaza] has corroded your face, it is irreversible," Svetlana's doctors told her.

"Even after (restorative) surgery, it will be a completely different face, and the skin will not be completely restored," they added.

The RIC has launched an investigation into the case, which has so far come up empty.

Freimanis has contested Svetlana’s claims and was even caught on camera saying, "Go and prove I injected you with Longidaza," as per The Post.

Svetlana has used her predicament to warn others about the shadiness of the cosmetic industry and the fetishization of female looks that perpetuates bad beauty practices.

"You can’t blindly trust doctors, even with many qualifications... You need to love yourself and watch Instagram less, and not listen to people who say: ‘You’re getting old,'" Svetlana said.

"Better to grow old with dignity and do nothing with your face," she added.