“It Looked Better Just Thick And Fat”: 45 Beauty Procedures People Regret Having Done

Rhinoplasty. It was an impulsive decision that I regret every single day :( I was also so so young when I did it. I just miss my original nose so much 🥺 Please don’t ever get plastic surgery for other people. And definitely wait until your frontal lobe develops so you can make more rational and conscious decisions about your body.

Microblading! I thought it would fade over time but 3 years later they’re still dark - just blurry and grey now.

Permanent eyeliner. The top is ok but I let her do the bottom as well. Ugh.

I can’t remember if there was an actual term for it but fat dissolving injections in the stubborn fat pouch under my chin.

First of all, highly expensive and I spent months saving up for it as I don’t have a lot of money and live pay check to pay check. Second of all, my lower face swelled up like a bullfrog and it stayed that way for an entire month - I couldn’t bring myself to leave the house for that entire month.
Third of all, it did NOTHING. Zilch. Absolutely nothing.

It feels frustrating to then go back to the injector (who is a qualified nurse practitioner btw) to show and tell her that it made no difference at all and that I was swollen for a month - only to have her shrug her shoulders. And you can’t get any money back for these things either. Would not get it again and I would advise against it.

I was 20 when I got breast implants. From day one I pretty much hated how I looked and felt in them. Instant regret. They were big and bulky on my small frame even after telling the doctor I didn’t want giant implants.

A turning point for me was when I went to buy new bras as I gained weight and they were not fitting anymore. I had a breakdown when the lady told me I was now a size DDD32 or a E something rather.

Called my husband and told him I hated these things and just started bawling on the phone.

Funny this is around 2 years ago one of them deflated on their own. Since it was still under 10 years it was covered under warranty and they were able to pay for the cost of removal for the deflated implant. I had to pay for the other one of course but I was sooooooo happy they were out.

Instant relief and I loved the new look/feel immediately. Nothing like day after I had gotten my implants.

Filler in my cheeks. Didn’t realize she used permanent filler. Though it fades over time, it can take years. I felt like it didn’t make my cheeks look lifted (like I was told it would). It just made my face look wider and fatter. And older.

Had one of those facials where they scrape your face with a blade. Had the worst breakout of my life. Needed antibiotics.

I had a small-ish mole removed from my eyebrow when I was 16 for cosmetic reasons. I have transparent blonde eyebrows, and it was a dark spot that grew dark hair. I was always so embarrassed. People would think it was a bug on my face. The doctor froze it several times and then cut it out. He cut so deep I had to have stitches, and now I have a bumpy scar from it; almost keloid-ish... People still ask me what's on my eyebrow, and it STILL GROWS DARK HAIRS 🤬.

Coolsculpting. It drained the fat out of my thighs and now the skin looks loose and saggy. It looked way better just thick and fat.

I got fat freezing and it absolutely ruined my thighs. I still have slightly chubby thighs on a skinny bod, but now I have these two divots in the centre where the paddles were.

Wish I would've left well alone, but I'm also weirdly grateful in a way? Like, now I'm kinda cool with my T-Rex body type; it gave me perspective on perfection 💁‍♀️.

Tretinoin. 

It destroyed my tear glands despite me being careful to keep it from my eyes. Differin caused further damage (I tried it after stopping tret because a derm told me it wouldn't exacerbate my dry eyes. She was very wrong). Now I use 2 excruciatingly expensive prescription eye medications for my dry eyes and I’ll need these prescriptions for the rest of my life. I hate that I destroyed my eyes because I was so desperate to get rid of my cystic acne. I’m also eternally grateful I pushed back so hard against Accutane. If topical Tretinoin caused me so much damage, I can only imagine how bad it would have been orally. I was told by my opthamologist that topical Tretinoin can be absorbed systemically and have similar effects to Accutane.

I’d have to say the thinning of my bucal fat pads. I was 27 and had really chubby cheeks. I never imagined that at 50 I’d really want all that fat back.

Worst: braces. Although the dental professionals claimed that it would even out my teeth wear, I am so salty about it because my midline was centered prior to braces, and now it's off to one side! Every time I smile with teeth, you can see that the midline doesn't align with the center of my top lip, and it looks worse than before >_< I really wish I could undo it and go back to my natural state.

Best: lip blush. I have terribly pale lips and being able to look alive straight from waking up is amazing. I wish they could go darker though.

Expensive in-office tooth whitening. They smelled terrible for weeks after. I didn’t get anywhere near the shade I was aiming for, and using the boosters they sent home just makes them stink again. God I miss there days before white teeth were a thing.

I had my lips tattooed and I regret it. You can't even tell it was the tiniest shade darker and then my lips were all swollen and crusty for awhile. It also took hours and it hurt soooo bad since lips are a sensitive area and tattoos already hurt bad enough.

Hair extensions. They made me look the most beautiful I've ever looked when I had them in, but when I took them out my hair was so short and damaged :( took years for my hair to recover.

Ultraclear laser for hyperpigmentation. So painful and it took me over a month to heal (downtime is suppose to be a 4-7 days). It did nothing for my hyperpigmentation and left me broken capillaries.

Japanese Head Spa. You are literally laying on a table with no padding with your head resting on a plastic block. That becomes very uncomfortable quickly.

The sink attached is plastic which means all the water hitting it echos and is jarringly LOUD.

As they do the washing and the treatments, your head starts to feel cold because your hair is drenched.

They will tangle your hair. Not fun.

Most of these places won’t even give you a rough blow dry just to get the heavy wet without charging you extra. So you either pay or walk out wet.

A day and a half later my scalp broke out in multiple areas. I’m pretty convinced the scrubbing gave me micro cuts and whatever they used after just irritated the hell out of my head.

I know what you are thinking. That it looks so relaxing on TikTok. It’s a lie. It was such a waste of money.

I got laser hair removal back in the day when it was still being advertised as permanent like electrolysis compared to a temporary reduction method. It took forever since I had to wait 2 months between each session & obviously wasn't cheap.

While it did last for around 5 years, it suddenly all grew back at once like I never did anything. If I had known there was a possibility of it coming back, then I would have done electrolysis instead.

1. Every time I get nails I immediately regret them because then I can’t do anything with my hands

2. Botox gave me the worst constant headaches from when I got it for the several months til it wore off

3. Bangs regret, lol


Botox I will not repeat. I’d rather have wrinkles than be constantly cranky because my head is hurting forever .