Woman’s facial reconstruction turns to horror as an infection ‘eats’ her face away
Vanessa Carter had gone under the knife following a horrific car accident, but her dream of getting a normal face after the crash soon began to take a dark turn
A woman who had a facial reconstruction after car a crash has described how an infection saw her new prosthetic eating her face.
Vanessa Carter, 47, was left with major problems after the skin appeared to reject the prosthetic implant that was inserted into her after a horror car crash. She admitted had she not sought treatment sooner, she likely would have been dead.
She has since revealed just what was behind the mysterious disease that was eating away at her. Now, she is advocating that people learn from her story and take anti-biotics to ensure their health following her ordeal.
Vanessa was left with life-changing injuries when she was involved in a severe car crash in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2004. In the collision, she received major injuries to her abdomen and her face, including a broken nose, huge facial lacerations and, ultimately, she lost her right eye.
She was made to recover in hospital for treatment to her injuries for over a month, before she had to go under the knife to help build up her face once again. Six years later, in 2010, she had a prosthetic implant put in which helped to bridge a gap between her nose and a smashed cheekbone.
In the hours after she left the hospital, everything seemed fine and she was discharged, allowing her to continue her recovery at home. But just one day after leaving, she soon felt a wetness coming down from the side of her face.
Things soon escalated and an infection soon took hold and began to eat away at her face, leaving her terrified. Over the next few days, her skin became weaker and thinner as the infection work.
Speaking on her ordeal, Vanessa explained: “My ENT surgeon told me the plastic surgeon had sent the prosthetic for testing. That was the first time I had even heard that a test was being done.
“When the results arrived, the first thing I saw was the acronym MRSA. When I searched ‘MRSA’ online, I learned it meant Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus — a dangerous antibiotic-resistant infection.”
Vanessa said she was shocked at the news, as she had never realised that she could even be resistant to anti-biotics. But by this point, the infection had ravaged her face, causing it to completely collapse on the right side.
Eventually, Vanessa was put on an anti-biotic named Vancomycin, which — after three years — was able to stop the total collapse of her face. She was later told she would not be able to be treated until the infection was totally gone.
She would eventually be able to get through a decade-long fight involving multiple doctors from across the world to finish her reconstruction surgery. However, after taking several courses of anti-biotics, she is now urging others to be careful.
“I have educated myself extensively so I can have more informed conversations with my doctors and understand when antibiotics are truly necessary,” she explained. “Many people assume antibiotics will quickly cure colds and flu, but these medicines are only effective against bacterial infections.”
Since her ordeal, Vanessa has left South Africa to move to the UK, thanks to her British citizenship. She is now a campaigner and an advocate for safe anti-biotic use, receiving an award from the UK Health Security Agency.
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