Posted on April 22, 2025

Elkhart Woman's DIY Botox Fail Uses Home Depot Caulk

3142

Elkhart, Indiana — A local woman’s quest for youthful radiance took a turn for the catastrophic Wednesday night, landing her in the ER after a bold—but wildly misguided—attempt at DIY Botox using bathroom caulk she purchased from the Home Depot clearance aisle.

What began as a budget-friendly beauty hack quickly spiraled into a full-blown medical emergency, proving once and for all that just because something seals cracks in your shower doesn't mean it belongs anywhere near your face. According to those close to her, 34-year-old Tina Jennings was hoping to “tighten things up a bit” before the weekend, but instead ended up tightening her forehead into what paramedics later described as “a semi-permanent expression of alarm.”

Witnesses say 34-year-old Tina Jennings, inspired by a viral TikTok that claimed hardware-store silicone sealant was “cheaper and more effective” than clinical injections, confidently stocked up on several tubes of caulk promising “long-lasting flexibility” and “100% waterproof coverage.”

According to her friend Melanie, Tina proudly declared, “I’m about to glow like a backsplash,” before heading into the kitchen with a mirror, a caulk gun, and the kind of confidence normally reserved for YouTube renovators and questionable Etsy tutorials. She insisted no one interrupt her unless they smelled smoke or heard screaming that sounded “non-beauty related.”

Armed with determination and a video titled "Caulk Your Way to Beauty," Tina began the procedure. Unfortunately, things went off the rails when the caulk gun jammed and then unjammed with the force of a compressed air cannon, launching a thick glob of adhesive directly onto her forehead. The result: her left eyebrow became sealed in a permanently raised position, giving her the expression of someone perpetually judging your life choices.

“I just wanted to erase a few crow’s feet, but now I look permanently skeptical,” Jennings tearfully explained to reporters, dabbing at her still-stiff forehead with a hospital tissue. “People think I’m silently judging their outfits, their life choices, even their drink orders. I went to Starbucks this morning and the barista apologized for her bangs. I lost three friends today. One said she couldn’t handle my ‘resting interrogation face’ anymore. Another blocked me mid-conversation. The third just handed me a mirror and walked away.”

She paused, sighing. “At this point, I don’t know if I need dermatology or a publicist.”

Emergency responders were baffled. Upon arrival, paramedics reportedly spent nearly two hours Googling removal tips, consulting plumbing forums, and attempting to decipher the ingredients listed on a half-used tube of “Ultra Seal Pro.” They tried everything short of calling a contractor—though one EMT did wander out to the truck muttering, “Maybe we do need a tile scraper.” The bathroom smell of silicone filled the room as they cycled through cooking oil, baby shampoo, and even warm mayonnaise in a desperate bid to loosen the adhesive.

“One EMT finally yelled, ‘Try WD-40!’ and for a moment, we all considered it,” said one responder, shaking his head. “At a certain point, we were just hoping she didn’t try grout next. Or Flex Seal. God help us if she had Flex Seal.”

After attempts involving baby oil, olive oil, and a hot compress wrapped in a tortilla (her idea), Jennings was rushed to Elkhart General Hospital—still wearing a headband that read “Flawless at Any Cost.” Doctors there, initially convinced they were being pranked, sprang into action once they confirmed the substance was, in fact, industrial-grade silicone and not part of an avant-garde skincare routine.

Using a combination of medical-grade solvents, tweezers, steady hands, and what one nurse described as “a small miracle and a lot of patience,” the team was able to remove most of the hardened caulk. “It was like giving a chemical peel to a bathroom tile,” said one exhausted resident. “Honestly, I’m just glad she didn’t try a second coat.”

While the long-term effects remain unclear, doctors say Jennings may retain a subtle look of mild suspicion on the left side of her face — a sort of permanent “Really?” expression that could come in handy during PTA meetings or awkward first dates. Plastic surgeons are optimistic but cautious, noting that while the majority of the damage appears reversible, the emotional scarring from being mistaken for a judgmental mall cop may take longer to heal. “She’s lucky,” one surgeon said. “If the angle had been a little higher, she’d be stuck in full ‘disappointed aunt at Thanksgiving’ mode.”

Still, Jennings is taking it in stride, proving that while her forehead may be stiff, her sense of humor is fully intact.

“The package said wrinkle-free results,” she shrugged from her hospital bed, careful not to shift her still-drying eyebrow. “And to be fair... it wasn’t wrong.”

She went on to say she’s considering turning her experience into a cautionary tale-slash-TikTok series called “Caulk Blocked,” and has already been approached by at least two local hardware stores asking her not to mention their brand name in future interviews.