INJECTED INEQUALITY
Dermal fillers have never been more accessible, but those who pay less often face greater risks than they realise
The differences between a £60 lip filler appointment and a £300 one are not always visible.
That is, until something goes wrong.
A £60 appointment is never just £60.
It is often the difference between regulated and unregulated care.
The rapidly growing UK aesthetic industry is estimated to be worth £3.6 billion by the end of 2026, with over 25,000 aesthetic providers legally offering procedures.
Yet in England, there is no legal requirement for someone to hold a medical qualification to perform dermal filler injections.
According to patient safety data, 79% of complaints about dermal fillers involve procedures carried out by non-medical practitioners, and 96% of those reporting complications require treatment from the NHS after being ignored by their providers.
Through personal accounts and expert insight, Ellie Lovatt explores how Britain’s unregulated dermal filler industry is exposing a dangerous gap between price and safety.
“I wasn’t thinking about it as a medical procedure, it felt more like booking your nails"
Lily Sigley
For 21-year-old paramedic student Lily Sigley, filler was not something she viewed as risky or dangerous.
After just turning 18, she decided to get 1ml of lip filler due to seeing it advertised on Instagram for a discounted £65.
Like many girls her age, she was working a part-time, minimum wage job alongside her studies and had limited disposable income.
“It didn’t feel like a big decision at the time because everyone around me had it.
"Girls at work, girls on Instagram, even girls younger than me.
"It was just normal.
"I chose where to go based on the price, as I couldn’t justify spending hundreds of pounds.
"I didn’t even properly look into her qualifications,” she said.
Lily found her practitioner through social media, and she is not alone.
A recent study showed that 40% of UK patients now find their practitioner through Instagram, where medical procedures are often presented as everyday beauty treatments, downplaying their risk and severity.
"I didn't even properly look into her qualifications” she added.
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily Sigley documented her reaction over the course of two weeks to monitor the swelling. Photo credit: Lily Sigley
Lily explained how she received no thorough consultation, and the risks were not explained to her.
The entire appointment lasted only around 15 minutes.
At first, everything seemed normal, until a couple of days later, when her lips started to swell badly, turning them blue, oozing and painful.
“I messaged my practitioner for help and advice, but she didn’t reply.
"So I messaged again and again and again, and in the end, she blocked me.
"That was the moment I realised I’d basically trusted my face to someone I couldn’t hold accountable.”
Eventually, she went to A&E.
“If I’d had more money at the time, I most likely would’ve done more research into a better established place.
"I think because I was on a budget, I went on a whim and booked the cheapest place that was advertised to me.
"I didn’t really have much choice.
"I took a risk and it wasn’t worth it.
"I had to take days off from my paramedic placement because I was in pain and didn’t want to be seen.
"It knocked my confidence completely, and that’s not how you want to feel going into that kind of job," she said.
For Lily and many others of her age and with her budget, the decision is shaped less by risk and more by a combination of price, accessibility and how treatments are presented online.
A survey conducted as part of this investigation found that price is a key deciding factor for many young people considering dermal fillers. Of the respondents, the majority were aged between 21 and 25, and most of these people admitted to prioritising factors such as cost and special offers over qualifications or location.
These results support the idea that affordability and online presence are central factors which drive risk within the industry.
MEDIC VS NON-MEDIC
Does it matter?
Lily’s experience is not a one-off.
In the UK, cosmetic procedures are performed in a largely unregulated environment, whereby minimal training is required to enter the industry.
Dermal fillers are classed as medical devices rather than prescription medicine, so non-medical professionals are free to administer them under the current regulations.
This places them in a different legal category than Botulinum toxin (Botox), which is a prescription-only medicine, and can only be prescribed by a qualified professional. However, once prescribed, a non-medical professional can legally inject the substance, resulting in a ‘legal loophole’.
Currently, the only specific law in place surrounding this industry is the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021, which makes it illegal to administer dermal fillers or Botox to anyone under the age of 18. However, beyond this, there are no laws controlling who can carry out these procedures on adults.
Both Botox and dermal fillers are minimally invasive and dermal fillers last much longer (6-18 months) as opposed to 3-4 months with Botox.
This distinction shows the inconsistencies within the current legislation. In spite of dermal fillers having longer-lasting effects, they are subject to fewer restrictions and are much more accessible.
Despite data showing Botox remains the UK’s top non-surgical aesthetic treatment, with over 900,000 procedures annually, 2024 saw a 27% rise in dermal fillers.
They are commonly injected into the cheeks, lips, nasolabial folds, jawline and chin, in order to restore volume and smooth wrinkles. High-quality dermal fillers in the UK (such as Juvederm and Teosyal) should typically cost around £200-£400 per 1ml for the lips, and around £300-£600 per 1ml for the cheeks.
This is due to it costing practitioners between £100 and £160 +VAT per syringe to purchase. Alongside the cost of insurance, expertise, operating costs and more, consumer prices for more premium products should reflect this.
The products themselves are also easily accessible. Trading Standards have warned that unsafe and unregulated filler products are readily available for sale online to everyday consumers for as little as £20, as opposed to £100+.
In practice, this creates a system where both treatments are widely accessible, but not consistently regulated.
Unlike doctors and nurses, who are regulated by either the General Medical Council (GMC) or the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), non-medical practitioners are self-regulated, resulting in a regulatory ‘black hole’ within the industry.
These consequences are reflected in patient safety data.
According to a government-approved register, Save Face, more than 15,000 complaints have been received in the last 12 years, and more than half of these complaints come from women aged 18 to 25; the same age group who have been found to spend the most time on social media.
Save Face ensures that those administering filler hold appropriate insurance, operate in a safe and hygienic environment and use licensed products.
However, the register is limited only to healthcare professionals, meaning it does little to address the wider issue of non-medical practitioners operating without formal regulation.
"We need to start holding people accountable."
Ashton Collins
Ashton Collins, director of Save Face, has been campaigning for change for over eleven years. She believes that the greatest risk in the industry lies with non-medics, as they do not meet any of their criteria.
She said: “Those who are not medically trained cannot be accredited under our register.
"We do not deem any of them fit for purpose.
"They cannot be held financially accountable because there’s no legitimate insurance or assets to go after.
"Even when people have come to us with serious injuries from them, there’s nothing we can do and they’re unable to seek any criminal justice.”
In 2022, the Health and Care Act introduced plans for a new licensing scheme for non-surgical procedures in the UK, however, the implementation of this has been extremely slow.
If passed, the new law would require practitioners and their premises to meet standards for training, insurance and hygiene before being legally allowed to run.
Despite consultations beginning in 2023, and proposals being released in 2025, progress has been slow and very limited, and the industry continues to operate within a grey area.
“If the government actually clamped down on the few laws that do exist and lived up to their promises of the new laws, then it would make a huge difference.
"We need to weed out those who are not trained to a safe standard,” said Ashton.
So, what level of training is required?
Some courses require as little as one day to complete before an online certification is provided, and trainees are considered ‘qualified’.
They are often advertised as a ‘fast-track’ into the industry, where no medical background or prior experience is required.
These private academies operate without any formal oversight, in contrast to professionally accredited courses, which are overseen by the GMC or NMC, meaning medics are to perform to strict standards, and can be held accountable for poor practice.
Medical aesthetic practitioners have foundational clinical qualifications, often a three-to-six-year degree, followed by advanced courses and supervised practice within the field. In contrast, beauty therapists or people with no medical background often begin with a NVQ Level 2/3 in beauty therapy, or enter via a ‘fast-track’ beginners course.
One former aesthetic practitioner and trainer closed down her training academy in Manchester a few years ago due to concerns about safety within the industry.
Alice Perry, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, first entered aesthetics in 2010. She paid £4000 for her first course, during which she recalls being poorly trained.
She said: “I quickly realised I’d spent my money on someone teaching unsafe practice.
"For example, he took a contaminated syringe that had been in one person’s face and put it in a bottle of Botox and used it on someone else.”
This bad experience led her to do more research into training academies in order to be trained properly, and she later went on to establish her own, offering level 5 and 7 qualifications.
Level 7 is often described as equivalent to a post-graduate study, however it does not require any prior medical degree or experience in the field. Her courses provided adequate training, similar to that of a medical professional. It took two years to complete and cost each trainee close to £10,000.
However, competing with the shorter and cheaper courses across the high street proved difficult.
“You don’t have to have any qualifications to do aesthetics.
"It’s so easy to enrol on these courses, I’d say 90% of them are rubbish.
"My course seemed expensive, but I was making no profit.
"The £10,000 just about covered the cost of the tutor, assessor, certificates, everything was swept up, and that’s how much a legitimate course should cost," she said.
She describes a system where training is reduced to the bare minimum in order to save time and money, and the consequences of this are left as an afterthought.
“They get put through a day course and given a certificate without any assessment, theory or follow-up mentoring.
"You turn up, you put the needle here, here, here, buy these products, off you go.
“A lot of people don't take proper records, no record keeping, so customers don't really have any solid word or anywhere to go with it if there's a problem.
“People with a lower income are definitely subject to more risk.
"When it’s for 20 quid, which you can often find down some dodgy roads, it’s not necessarily going to attract clients who put their safety and well-being at the top of the list of priorities," she added.
The former practitioner also spoke about the issue of insurance within the industry. It is currently not a strict legal requirement to have insurance to practice aesthetics. This means some individuals can carry out procedures with little oversight.
Even when insurance is in place, it does not guarantee complete safety, as many polices can often be arranged online within minutes and involve minimal checks. For patients, this can create a false sense of legitimacy.
“There are next to no checks when it comes to applying for insurance online.
“They don’t even ask for identification, so you could be anyone," she said.
She recalls testing the system while running her training academy.
“We actually enrolled my dog for insurance to make a joke out of the system.
"We used his name and details, and it went through without any verification.
"Technically, my dog was insured to administer filler!”
Despite the lack of requirements or regulations, the appearance of insurance may falsely imply professionalism or safety.
This unpoliced “wild west” of an industry ultimately led to the closure of her academy, as the market became populated by low-cost, faster options, making it impossible to compete.
"He took a contaminated syringe that had been in one person’s face... and used it on someone else.”
Alice Perry
“We actually enrolled my dog for insurance to make a joke out of the system."
Alice Perry
THE COST OF CORRECTION
Who ends up paying the price?
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
Abbie Shearer's reaction was so severe that she remains unable to have any further cosmetic procedures on her lips. Photo credit: Abbie Shearer
"Price should never have been my priority. I should’ve prioritised my safety."
Abbie Shearer
For 21-year-old Abbie Shearer, what started out as a casual cosmetic appointment soon turned into something more serious, and ultimately life-altering.
After having dermal lip filler multiple times since turning 18, she recalls becoming desensitised to the risks involved and proceeded to do less research into the reliability of each new clinic she visited.
It was her fifth procedure which led to complications.
She said: "The pressure I felt in my lips was insane.
“They were swollen to the point they were oozing.”
At first, she sought help through the NHS, but due to the severity of the inflammation and infection, she was referred to a specialist.
“I had to go to a medical aesthetic practitioner who then had contacts with plastic surgeons who specialised in that area.
"I initially did go to A&E, but they said they had never dealt with something like this before and thought it would be best if I saw a private specialist.”
As a result, Abbie was forced to pay more money to correct the damage.
After spending around £400 on filler over three years, she was now faced with additional costs to have all the filler dissolved to reduce the swelling and treat the infection.
Her experience reflects a wider issue within the aesthetics industry.
While many treatments are advertised as affordable, the cost of correcting these treatments can prove to be extortionately more expensive, whether that be for the individual or the NHS.
This cost is rarely considered.
According to Save Face data, 96% of those who experienced complications required treatment from the NHS after being ignored by the practitioner who carried out the procedure.
As a result, corrective procedures from botched filler jobs are costing the NHS millions of pounds annually, as responsibility is shifted from private businesses to the public sector.
A recent review of evidence from 2026, undertaken by Welsh researchers, found that it can cost NHS hospitals between £1,058 and £19,549 per patient to treat complications.
The higher costs include patients who were admitted for longer hospital stays or surgical treatments.
Cosmetic surgeries which resulted in infections have to be treated through abscess drainage, antibiotics and dissolving agents (e.g. hyaluronidase), and these treatments often need to be performed by a specialist.
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Phil Brackley has seen the consequences of this firsthand.
Over the course of his 13-year-long plastic surgery career, he recalls treating countless amounts of patients with complications from poorly administered filler.
Photo credit: Phil Brackley
Photo credit: Phil Brackley
"It’s pretty devastating as people get left with life-long scars.”
Phil Brackley
Many times, he has been forced to undergo surgical intervention.
“When making the career switch from neurophysiology into plastic surgery, I chose to fix them rather than administer them, in the hopes that there would be less of a workload.
"But now unsurprisingly, there is much more of a workload!
“I’ve seen people with awful reactions, and to fix this, I've had to make an incision where the issue is and scrape out the material, but the problem is that this creates additional scarring.
"When it happens, it’s pretty devastating as people get left with life-long scars," he said.
But beyond the scarring, the emotional impacts of this can be equally as severe.
“The whole reason people get these procedures done in the first instance is to try and improve how they look, so it’s awful when they’re left looking and feeling worse than they did before.
"People turn themselves from a unique-looking individual to just looking like everyone else.
"It makes me sad when girls come in who seem so unhappy in their own skin and feel the need to make these dangerous and drastic changes,” he added.
Despite the high number of complications, many patients enter treatments without fully understanding the risks involved.
He said: "There’s a perception that these serious procedures are just beauty treatments, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
"They are medical procedures with potential for pressing and permanent risks.
"I will never stop teaching people about this and advocating for tighter regulations and further education about the dangers."
This lack of awareness is reflected in data.
Research found that 15% of UK patients have skipped a dental or medical appointment in order to afford an aesthetic treatment, highlighting the prioritisation of cosmetic procedures over essential healthcare.
This shows that financial limitations may be a forcing factor for individuals to choose between health and appearance, suggesting a culture where appearance is more valued.
Phil highlighted the clear correlation between cost and outcome.
“There is definitely a direct correlation between a low price and a poor result or more complications.
"From what I have seen, the majority of the complications I have fixed have come from clients who went to cheaper clinics due to being on a tighter budget.
"It’s definitely fair to conclude that lower-income individuals are more at risk,” he said.
For patients like Abbie, cost was always at the forefront of her mind.
She said: “I was young and didn’t have much money, so I usually went to a new practitioner each time who was offering introductory offers.
"Obviously, when the infection happened, I ended up having to pay more, and I soon realised that price should never have been my priority.
"I should’ve prioritised my safety.”
She is now left with scarring, and this has had an effect on her mental health.
“I didn’t want to leave the house, I didn’t want to socialise, and I didn’t want anyone to see me.
"I was embarrassed, and it looked disgusting.
"I’ve now got small scars on my lips from the incisions, and I have no lip filler left.
"I was advised not to ever get any more due to my lips being so damaged, so I feel worse than I did before, not to mention all the money I’ve lost,” she added.
What begins as an individual’s private cosmetic decision can often become part of a larger economic problem.
The NHS is left to pick up the pieces of this largely unregulated industry.
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
How easy is it to be influenced?
"If you see something online three times, you’re likely to think you need it."
Laura Humphrey
Qualified nurse practitioner and prescriber Laura Humphrey has witnessed this directly.
She believes that platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have blurred the lines between medical procedures and everyday beautification.
She said: “Social media is having such a strong negative impact on people’s confidence, especially young girls.
"They are being shown that treatments like these are normal beauty treatments, but they’re not.
"They should be thought about carefully and planned out.”
Trends such as “baby Botox” have become increasingly popular among younger demographics.
This is a preventative type of Botox or dermal filler designed to stop wrinkles before they develop by injecting small amounts of the toxin into specific areas of the face.
It is targeted at younger clients and has been found to be most commonly administered to in those aged between 20 and 30.
Alongside this, other viral treatments, such as liquid rhinoplasty and “glass skin,” have further contributed to the vast number of cosmetic procedures flaunted online.
“Baby Botox, liquid rhinoplasty, glass skin, they’re all just trends.
"People think that it’s normal just because they see it online all the time whilst scrolling, but it shouldn’t be so normalised.
"I’m a believer that if you see something online three times, you’re likely to think you need it,” she says.
This effect is reinforced by the way procedures are advertised.
In the UK, it is illegal to advertise Botox to the public as it is classified as a prescription-only medicine (POM). This means practitioners cannot promote it through public-facing platforms such as websites or social media.
Contrastingly, dermal fillers are not subject to the same restrictions as they are not classified as POMs. They can be advertised freely online, through heavily filtered images and promotional discounts.
This regulatory gap raises concerns. Dermal fillers can carry significant medical risks if administered incorrectly, and the effect of advertisements to young adults can be detrimental to their self-esteem.
Of those surveyed, 92% said they had seen dermal filler treatments advertised at discounted prices on social media.
When asked what would make them trust a practitioner, the most common response among participants was social media presence, including follower count, engagement and online reviews.
However, according to Laura, this perception can appear misleading.
She expresses concerns that genuine expertise and false online presence can be difficult to distinguish.
As she is regulated under the NMC, she makes this clear on her social media so that people can clearly identify her professional standards and warns people to look for this when choosing a practitioner.
“Just because an aesthetics account has tens of thousands of followers, it doesn’t make them more reliable.
"In fact, many people I’m aware of in the industry buy followers.
"It’s so easy, and it can make you appear more credible.
"You’d think, “She’s got 30,000 followers, she must be good".
"I have my medical qualifications clearly stated on my social pages as soon as you click on,” she said.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COST
Does it do more harm than good?
The emotional impact of botched procedures can last far longer than the physical.
While the treatments are often portrayed as a tool to enhance confidence and improve self-image, the reality is not always as clear-cut.
Even when treatments go as planned, their temporary nature can lead to a constant cycle of maintenance and upkeep, where customers feel the need to consistently top-up their fillers to preserve their appearance.
Over time this can lead to more serious issues.
"It’s definitely altered the way I see myself."
Tia Oberly
For 22-year-old Tia Oberly, a small decision to get lip filler at a young age has ultimately led to severe emotional impacts, as she now admits to suffering with symptoms of body dysmorphia and low self-esteem.
“I wasn’t even insecure about my lips to begin with, I just thought a bit of filler would accentuate my appearance,” she said.
Like many others, Tia was influenced less by being dissatisfied with her looks, and more by exposure to a certain type of beauty and normalisation around the industry.
She first decided to get lip filler when she was 19.
“Beauty standards online made me feel as though ‘more beautiful’ girls were those with bigger lips.
"In society, beauty standards seem to be forever changing, so I should have known better than to conform to a current trend, but I was young.
"I’d just moved to a new city for university, so I was overwhelmed with a new feeling of freedom and independence.
"I didn’t even tell my parents I was getting it done," she added.
After finding her clinic on social media, she booked her appointment and within a few days, was in the waiting room.
“I’m from a small countryside village, but I moved to London to study.
"I was overwhelmed with the number of options when it came to looking for a practitioner, so if I'm honest, I just went to the one with the most Instagram followers.
"This page was verified, she had nearly 200 thousand followers, and all the ‘Love Island’ stars went to her.
"I thought I was guaranteed safety there, but it just proves that in this industry, it can happen to anyone," she said.
At first, the results appeared positive, but what followed in the hours afterwards was severe.
“I was in so much pain and it looked insane.
"Even on my way home on the underground, people were looking at me strangely.
"I knew something wasn’t right," she added.
Despite this, she delayed seeking medical advice out of feelings of embarrassment.
“I looked ridiculous and I was just praying it would fix itself.
"Also, because I'd only recently moved to the area, I wasn’t even enrolled at a GP.
"It was a really stressful and overwhelming time, it quickly had a big impact on my everyday life.”
For nearly two weeks, she avoided leaving her flat.
“I didn’t want anyone to see me whilst it was happening.
"It affected me a lot at the start of my university experience.
"I didn’t go out and socialise whilst everyone else did, which in turn meant I struggled to make friends.
"It definitely affected my confidence then and still now as it was a very humbling experience.
"I’ve since had more fillers and other cosmetic procedures done.
"It’s definitely altered the way I see myself.
"I struggle with body dysmorphia and other self-esteem issues," she said.
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
Tia Oberly's reaction started almost immediately after leaving her injector's chair. Photo credit: Tia Oberly
"People have unrealistic expectations"
Laura Searcy
Nurse practitioner Laura Searcy describes how this is closely linked to unrealistic expectations being shaped by online content.
“There is a lack of education around this.
"I see a lot of people who come in and want something because they’ve seen it on TikTok, but that doesn’t work for everyone,” she said.
Research shows that the use of photo-editing apps and filters is associated with a higher acceptance of cosmetic procedures, suggesting that images which have been falsely altered online can directly influence people’s real-life decisions.
Filters, which are designed to smooth skin and enhance features, can create an idealised version of appearance which is often unattainable, even through cosmetic procedures.
“There can be good things that come out of social media, but I think on the whole, people have unrealistic expectations.
"Celebrities pose as natural and unfiltered when they’re not.
"I’ve seen young people coming through who are very impacted by this, and these sorts of effects can last forever.”
While some research reports that many feel more confident immediately after treatment, these effects are often short-lived as results fade, and emotions can fluctuate.
What may begin as an attempt to feel better, can often lead to the opposite.
Year after year, hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are affected by an industry that continues to grow faster than it is regulated.
Dermal filler treatments are easier to access than ever before, but the cost imbalance within the industry has created a system where safety is jeopardised.
The findings of this investigation point to a structural issue in which class is the defining factor.
This is not solely the result of bad practitioners, but a lack of effective regulation, which allows a £3.6 billion industry to operate without any oversight.
For Lily, Abbie, Tia and many other people across the country, this flawed system has had lasting consequences.
“I thought I was saving money, but I just ended up paying for it in other ways,” said Lily.
“It was cheap for a reason. I just didn’t realise that at the time.”
While Save Face can be used to find and raise concerns about accredited medical practitioners, pathways for reporting or accessing support following complications from non-medical practitioners remain unclear.
Seeking medical advice through your GP or NHS 111 is advised in serious cases.
