When done right, cosmetic surgery can help to boost one’s confidence, career, or both, but that sadly wasn’t the case for one Chinese influencer.

Douyin star Jin Dawei, or Abel, became hugely popular on the video-sharing platform thanks to his good looks and engaging content.

However, in 2019, he suddenly stopped updating all of his social media accounts — very unusual behaviour for a literal internet celebrity — and it wasn’t until March this year when he finally re-emerged with an explanation.

According to Abel, one of his friends recommended a fat grafting procedure to him two years ago, but he claimed that he was “deceived” by the doctor and ended up “disfigured”.

“At that time, the doctor lied to me and told me that it was just like an injection, but fat grafting is actually a major operation and can kill you if not done properly,” said Abel.

Fat grafting is a surgical process where fat is transferred from one area of the body to another. If done on the face, it is supposed to help create a more youthful appearance.

For Abel, however, it had the opposite effect.

He posted several before-and-after pics showing that the fillers had somehow deepened the lines on his face and made his cheeks and eye area look more sunken.

“I’ve really aged by more than 20 years,” he sighed. “At first I just wanted to look good, but now, I’ve become an ugly monster.”

As a result of the botched job, Abel also suffered from severe insomnia and hair loss, and his own family had trouble accepting him.

“My parents keep asking how I’ve become so ugly, and even relatives who usually don’t have much to say made comments. I have been avoiding them ever since,” he said, bursting into sobs. “I really regret it. I regret not protecting my past self!”

Abel now urges those who may be interested in plastic surgery to think twice, and to avoid doing it if they can.

He also called out unscrupulous doctors, exclaiming, “Doesn’t your heart hurt to earn this kind of money? Can you sleep at night? Can you bear the fact that the rest of a person’s life has been ruined by your hand?!”

Fortunately, Abel is on the road to getting his life back on track and is trying to save up enough money to fix his failed plastic surgery.

Photos: Jin Dawei Abel/Weibo and Douyin