Woman Injects Beef Fat Into Face, Then Dies

Last week an Illinois woman died shortly after injecting her own face with beef fat -- but that's not what killed her.  None-the-less, her DIY wrinkle remedy leaves many wondering "what was she thinking?" 

Janet Hardt, 63, had apparently cooked beef, extracted the fat and injected the substance into her face around the mouth and chin areas.  According to the Chicago Sun-Times, she had done this several times before in order to copy the physical effects one would get from facial injections such as Juvederm or Restylane.  Her family told authorities she had also previously undergone cosmetic surgeries to her face and neck  - above and beyond her home remedy self-injections. 

Hardt had gone to the hospital when she started to feel a burning sensation in her face after she performed the injections.  She died that same evening.  The official cause of death was peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal tissue caused by a bacterial infection.

Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel told the Daily Mail, "An incident like this is very rare."

According to Dr. Kenkel, who is also the President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the organization has heard of many non-FDA approved substances that people will inject themselves with at home from silicone to baby oil.  So, it was no surprise to hear about the beef fat incident (well, maybe not to him).

He went on to add, "‘Patients can obtain products over the Internet and there are videos showing you how to inject yourself."

"They don’t know how to inject the products under the right conditions."

While this is the first we've heard of injecting cooked meat fat, apparently one RealSelf member had a friend to who injected animal fat into her butt.  The RealSelf doctors confirm that she's right to be concerned about her friend's procedure.

"This is a growing and alarming trend often with DISASTROUS RESULTS!!!" says Georgia plastic surgeon Dr. Earl Stephenson.  "There all kinds of possible problems -- from unusual life-threatening infections [to] severe rejection resulting in horrible wounds."

It goes without saying, DON'T do this at home.  A board-certified plastic surgeon can inject your own fat into your body.  But leave the beef fat for your hamburger, not your face. 

Photo credit: Twin Cities Plastic Surgery on flickr; shenky on stock.xchng