My veneers led to a painful ‘elephant skin’ allergic reaction — here’s how

A woman in the UK was left suffering from a painful and debilitating allergic reaction for weeks after spending over $1,200 on veneers last year.

Lily Lindsay, 29, decided to get the procedure after spending her entire life being self-conscious of her smile, especially her two front teeth, so she shelled out the money for composite veneers last August.

What happened afterward changed her life.

“My veneers gave me immensely dry and flaky skin — like elephant skin,” Lindsay told South West News Service.

“No doctors could help me, so I ended up on anti-depressants,” she continued. “It was absolutely consuming me.”

Lindsay explained that she was inspired by various TikTok influencers and other friends to get her new teeth, and did it right before the ideal occasion, her best friend’s wedding.

She was thrilled with the results after the procedure, but two weeks later, she began to experience red, itchy eyes accompanied by dry lips and skin.

She went to see a doctor, who believed that she had standard-issue dermatitis, or irritated skin due to various environmental factors.

Her skin continued to worsen over time, at which point doctors reasoned that she was suffering a flare-up of eczema, and prescribed her a steroid cream.

“Day-to-day, my face would get a little more crusty, itchy and red,” Lindsay described to SWNS. “It was so painful under my arms — I couldn’t even put my arms down or shower.”

The 29-year-old tried everything she could to try and cool her inflamed skin. She tested out new diets and creams, but ultimately, nothing did the trick, and it left her in what she describes as a “vicious cycle.”

It affected her in every way, especially her mental health. Lindsay claimed that her own mother couldn’t bear the sight of her.

“I couldn’t do my work, I didn’t want to see my boyfriend… I couldn’t be bothered feeling like this,” she said. “I was just so low at how I looked. It got to the point where I just didn’t want to be here anymore. I felt like a failure.”

By January, her allergy began to attack her immune system, causing her to suffer from dizziness, ringing in her ears and black spots in her vision.

She began to piece together the idea that her symptoms may have been connected to her veneers, as they started two weeks after she got the procedure.

A blood test later revealed that the inflammation was inside of her body, not on her skin, triggered by the resin used in the fake teeth. It’s not unheard of in patients who received veneers.

“Allergic reactions to composite veneers tend to be triggered by the resin used within these products,” healthcare expert Dr. Helen Evans-Howells told SWNS.

“Commonly, this would trigger contact dermatitis which is caused by a delayed allergic reaction,” Evans-Howells continued. “This would tend to present with irritation at the site of the veneers or mouth ulcers. On occasion, reactions such as eczema, or eye swelling can occur.”

Thankfully, Lindsay was able to go back to the dentist to get them all removed — a cost that her doctor volunteered to cover.

Now, her face has completely cleared up.

However, she is now urging others to pay attention and thinks she should’ve signed a waiver before getting veneers.

“I don’t ever recall seeing, or signing anything that says I might have an allergic reaction – it’s not something people really think about,” she said.

“We need to give composite veneers and soft fillings the same level of publicity as gel nail varnish – dentists need to advertise the risks.”