‘I spent £5k a year becoming ‘Barbie’ - I stopped when I couldn’t even recognise myself in the mirror’

A beautician spent £5k a year turning herself into a ‘Barbie’ and hated it when she could no longer recognise herself– now she refuses to give her own clients filler if she can’t see the benefit.

Emily Spence, 28, got hooked on dermal fillers when she was 18, and went bigger at every appointment.

At 18, she spent £3k on a boob job, but is happy with the results and has never had them reduced again.

In 2018, she got her lip filler built up to 5ml, and had jaw, chin and cheek fillers - spending £5k on the lot.

She had jaw surgery to change her face shape and got to the point where she didn’t even recognise herself when she looked in the mirror.

Now she realises the obsession was down to her insecurities with her body and hates how she looked with fillers.

Emily has had most of them dissolved and has opened her own clinic, but makes sure to chat to clients before allowing them to have any changes.

Emily, a nurse and clinician, said: “I was obsessed with how I looked and I could never be happy. I had jaw filler to make my face square and made my lips massive.

“I realise now it was because I was so insecure about my appearance and my body. I had body dysmorphia.

“I turned myself into a Barbie. Now I’ve had a lot of it stripped back.

“I won’t let clients go ahead with any filler if I can’t see the benefit. I chat to them to make sure they are doing the right thing.”

Emily started suffering with body dysmorphia as a teenager and became obsessed with her weight.

“I’d hardly eat and then binge at the end of the day. I became more self-conscious as I hit 18 and started going out. I felt fat.”

Emily started getting lip filler - and got it topped up every few months.

“I just went bigger and bigger each time,” she said. “I had jaw filler and I just didn’t look like me anymore.

“At that point I was spending about £5k a year on dermal fillers and antiwrinkle. Something twigged and I realised I’d taken it too far.

“I started to have therapy and realised I was struggling with body dysphoria.

“I had all the jaw and chin filler dissolved so my face looked like me. And now I just have a little bit of lip filler in.”

Now Emily has set up her own aesthetic business but uses her knowledge as a qualified nurse to help women in their choice to get fillers.

“I enhance peoples natural beauty whilst keeping them looking like their own identity,” she said.

“I would never let a client take it too far so that they didn’t look like themselves anymore like I did. I’ll always have an initial chat with them first and ask why they want fillers.

“I want to make sure others don’t change themselves when they are not happy within.

“If I don’t think it’s beneficial for them or there not doing it for the right reasons then I’ll refuse to do it.

“When I had filler done no one ever thought to do these checks or question if the reasons I was getting it done.

“I think it’s so important to check that clients are having fillers done for the right reasons.”