Australian TV Star Tilly Whitfield Says TikTok DIY Freckle Hack Gave Her Scarring and Vision Loss

Tilly Whitfeld/Instagram

Australian television star Tilly Whitfeld is telling her followers to “leave it to the professionals” instead of attempting viral beauty hacks, after her own DIY experience went south.

Back in May, Whitfeld, 21, explained that she often appeared on Australian Big Brother with a blue clay face mask to cover a patchy red reaction on her cheeks and nose. It was “the result of attempting to remove scarring I inflicted on myself trying to replicate an at home beauty procedure I saw on a TikTok video,” the reality star wrote alongside several Instagram selfies and close-ups of her complexion.

“Please please don’t try any ‘DIY’ or ‘at home’ beauty procedures. I ended up in hospital with temporary loss of vision in my eye due to swelling and was very sick from the infection, not to mention my face was somewhat unrecognizable. Leave it to the professionals 🌈🦄✨” Whitfeld shared, adding that the photos show “deep below surface level scaring and dark pigmentation.”

Tilly Whitfeld/Instagram

The Big Brother star did not reveal which of the many viral TikTok beauty hacks caused the reaction at the time, but in a new interview with the New York Times, Whitfeld said it was the result of attempting to give herself freckles.

RELATED: People on TikTok Deem This Vitamin C Serum the ‘Best’ – and It’s on Sale with This Hidden Amazon Coupon

The controversial trend takes popular faux freckles (applied with henna, an eyebrow pencil or even products specifically created to give natural-looking spots) one step further by using sewing needles to prick yourself with ink. If it goes as expected, the results should “fade within six months,” according to the NYT.

The video Whitfeld came across reportedly did not specify what type of ink to get, so she ordered brown tattoo ink from eBay.

Tilly Whitfeld/Instagram

“It didn’t hurt at all, so I didn’t think I should stop,” Whitfeld told the outlet. She later discovered the ink she purchased was a counterfeit product with “high levels of lead in it,” according to the NYT, and has since spent nearly $12,000 on doctor’s visits to correct the scarring.

Story continues

RELATED: This Drugstore Foundation Is Going Viral on TikTok – and Now You Can Get It on Sale

She has yet to find a solution. “The main response has been that I’m stupid, and, yeah, I agree,” Whitfeld said.

Speaking about the rise in viral beauty and wellness trends on TikTok, New York-based gastroenterologist Dr. Niket Sonpal told the outlet, “You have a lot of people claiming to be experts who have no real consequences for giving really bad advice.”

Instead, Dr. Sonpal advises anyone to reach out to a professional. “We can counsel and educate you for more than 60 seconds.”