“That pretty face is completely ruined” — Kim Serena opens up about side effects of paraffin cosmetic surgery [Health Talk]

[Financial News] Singer Kim Serena, 79, said she had a cosmetic procedure in her youth in which paraffin was injected into her face, and suffered side effects for a long time. Paraffin is a substance that does not break down naturally in the body. Injected beneath the skin, it can cause chronic inflammation or foreign-body granulomas, and tissue damage can occur even decades later.

Kim Serena appeared on MBN’s The Exclusive World, which aired on the 5th, and opened up about her current life and the pain she had experienced from a cosmetic procedure in the past.
After leaving Seoul and moving to the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, Kim Serena was managing her health by walking more than 10,000 steps every day. She kept meals simple, eating foods such as toast, bananas and boiled eggs.
That day, Kim Serena brought out a photo from her 30s and explained why her appearance had changed. “I looked pretty good back then. People even said I was pretty, but time spares no one. As I got older, my face sagged and became hollow,” she said. She added, “I was talked into getting injections of something bad called paraffin, and it never went away,” and opened up, saying, “As I got older, I was desperately trying not to age.”
Kim Serena said that the procedure’s side effects had altered her face and drawn criticism from people around her.

“People kept saying, ‘Your face has become a mess’ and ‘That pretty face is completely ruined.’ What’s the point of talking about the past? I can’t undo it,” she said.
Kim Serena had previously disclosed that she received an illegal cosmetic procedure on TV Chosun’s My Way, a life documentary, in 2018. “I had it done by a woman at a private home. The side effects made my face look strange—can you imagine how shocking that was?” she said, describing what happened at the time.
Kim Serena later went to a hospital for a consultation but did not undergo additional surgery. “They said the only option was to cut it open and remove it, so I decided not to go ahead. It’s beyond words. I really felt like I wanted to die,” she said.

Paraffin is a petroleum-derived hydrocarbon that was once used to improve wrinkles or add volume to the face.
However, paraffin injected into the body is not absorbed or broken down like normal tissue. Over time, it can trigger an inflammatory response in surrounding tissue or form lumps beneath the skin.
In 2018, researchers from the plastic surgery departments at Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital published a case of facial foreign-body granuloma caused by paraffin injections in the international journal Archives of Craniofacial Surgery.
The researchers explained that paraffin oil injected for cosmetic purposes can remain in tissue for a long time and cause inflammation and skin damage.
In particular, the patient described in the study developed severe skin damage in the cheeks in front of both ears about 50 years after receiving paraffin injections and underwent surgery. This shows that complications from paraffin injections can occur not only shortly after the procedure but even decades later.


A foreign-body granuloma is a major complication that can result from paraffin injections.
A foreign-body granuloma is an inflammatory mass that forms when immune cells continuously react to a foreign substance that has entered the body. A foreign-body granuloma caused by paraffin is called a “paraffinoma.”
A 2007 case report by Japanese researchers, indexed in the US National Library of Medicine, also described a case of “facial paraffinoma after paraffin injection for cosmetic purposes,” in which paraffin injected into the face triggered a foreign-body reaction and caused abnormalities in the skin and subcutaneous tissue.
Typical symptoms include hard lumps that can be felt beneath the skin, swelling and irregularities on the skin’s surface. As inflammation worsens, pain or redness may develop, and the skin may also be damaged.
In 2021, researchers in the plastic surgery department at Kyung Hee University Hospital published a study in Archives of Craniofacial Surgery analyzing 64 patients with facial granulomas caused by injected materials.
The researchers said that various substances injected for cosmetic or reconstructive purposes can cause inflammation, granulomas, infection and tissue necrosis. The study participants sought medical care after developing inflammation in the face, feeling lumps or noticing irregularities on the skin’s surface.
According to the researchers, most patients underwent surgery because their symptoms persisted even after conservative treatment. However, the study included various injected substances, not just paraffin, so not all the patients had received paraffin injections.

Kim Serena said that the injected material had not disappeared, even though a long time had passed since her paraffin procedure.
Substances such as paraffin that do not break down in the body can persist within tissue over time. Removal becomes more difficult, particularly if the injected material has migrated into surrounding tissue or spread widely.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) explains that filler materials that are not absorbed can migrate to other areas and cause discomfort, and that treatment to remove them or return them to their original position can also be complicated.
Inflammatory tissue that develops after paraffin injections may be mixed with normal tissue, making it difficult to remove only the injected material.

If side effects develop after paraffin injections, the treatment is determined by the severity of the inflammation and how far the foreign material has spread.
Some patients may receive medication or other treatment to reduce inflammation, but surgical removal may be necessary if the lesion is severe or symptoms persist.

In a 2021 study by researchers at Kyung Hee University Hospital, most patients with facial granulomas underwent surgery because conservative treatment alone did not sufficiently improve their symptoms. However, if the injected material is extensively mixed with normal tissue, removing all of it can also damage the skin and subcutaneous tissue.
Because surgery can also leave scars or alter the shape of the skin, the extent of removal and the reconstruction method must be decided carefully.
Kim Serena also said that the hospital explained the option of making an incision and removing the material, but she decided against surgery. However, the distribution of the injected material and the extent of tissue damage have not been disclosed, so it is not possible to determine what treatment is currently available.

Injecting substances not approved for cosmetic use, including paraffin, beneath the skin can cause serious complications.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the type of material used in dermal filler procedures, the injection site and the skill of the medical professional all affect safety.
The FDA warns that injections of liquid silicone not approved for cosmetic use can cause long-term pain, infection, scarring and permanent changes in appearance. In severe cases, they can lead to blocked blood vessels, stroke or death.
Paraffin and silicone are different substances, but both can cause long-term complications when foreign materials that do not break down in the body are injected for cosmetic purposes.
The FDA recommends that anyone considering filler treatment confirm that the product is approved and consult an experienced medical professional who can diagnose and treat complications from the procedure.
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter