FormerBig Brotherstar Skye Wheatley has spoken publicly about the breast augmentation that has left her with a “double bubble” boob and shattered self-esteem.

An estimated 15,000 Australians travel overseas each year to undergo cosmetic procedures. Last February, Wheatley joined their ranks, undergoing surgery in Thailand to even up her asymmetrical breasts — a feature that had affected her confidence for years.

“They’re completely deformed. If I can fix them, why not?” Wheatley told theDaily Mail in the lead-up to her trip.

“Boyfriends have called me ‘pancake’ in the past and comments like that stick.”

The 22-year-old’s procedure was performed in Bangkok, courtesy of an Australian medical travel agency she had initially contacted before going onBig Brother.

Although she was confident going into the procedure, her excitement turned to concern when her bandages were removed and she noticed a lump on her right breast.

No I’m not lucky I’m blessed, yes. Shades from @luna_australia my fav ???????????????? A photo posted by Skye Maree Wheatley???????????????????? (@skye.wheatley) on May 2, 2016 at 12:29am PDT

“I gasped at the lump and was told it would go away in a month,” Wheatley recalls in the latest issue ofNWmagazine.

While she says she followed the surgeons’ instructions to massage the area and wear compression garments for the recommended period, the appearance of Wheatley’s breasts still hasn’t improved 12 months on. And the procedure didn’t even achieve what it had set out to do.

“I’ve now got a double bubble in the right one and they’re still different sizes. They’ve just swapped around,” she tellsNW.

Watch: Beauty blogger Molly Martinson reflects on the botched laser treatment that burned and bruised her face.(Post continues after video.)

As you might imagine, Wheatley’s self-confidence has been shaken by the experience.

“I want my old boobs back … What I had before was better, even though I used to complain,” the former barista admits in a subsequent interview with the Daily Mail.

“I can’t ever get my boobs out again and this double bubble has damaged my self esteem even more.”

It’s hard not to feel for the reality star — and unfortunately, hers is not an isolated experience.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen an increasing number of people arrive as outpatients or at emergency departments with complications often related to breast implants, atypical infections… bad things like losing both nipples,” Dr Anthony Kane, President of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, told Choice in 2014.

It goes without saying that cosmetic surgery can have complications regardless of where it’s performed — yes, things can go wrong here in Australia. However, Dr Kane told Choice a rising number of patients had been returning from offshore surgeries with issues.

For her part, Skye Wheatley is urging women, considering surgery, to do their research and think carefully before making any concrete plans.

“It’s not worth it, stay in Australia,” she tells theDaily Mail.

Have you ever considered having cosmetic surgery overseas?