We had laser treatment to get the hairless Love Island look but it left us permanently single and in excruciating pain
AS THE laser moved across her chin, Rachel Dodd felt an excruciating pain.
She had paid £700 up-front for a course of six hair removal treatments, covering work on her face and body, after polycystic ovary syndrome caused excessive hair growth.
Many women experience chin hairs, especially as they get older — this week Davina McCall revealed she had grown a “beard” during menopause.
As Rachel sat in the central London clinician’s chair for her second treatment, she was in agony and didn’t realise her face was being burnt until it was too late.
A doctor later likened her injuries to “putting meat in a searing hot pan”.
Rachel, a 40-year-old project manager from Surrey Quays, South East London, says: “The clinic was recommended to me by a friend and my first treatment went fine.
“But as the machine went towards my chin on the second appointment, I felt a searing pain. I didn’t know what a reasonable pain threshold was.
“I was about to say ‘that’s too much’, when the beautician stopped and said, ‘two white lumps have come up — are you OK?’
“I told her how much it hurt and she said we needed to stop the treatment but reassured me it was normal to get some redness, pain and marks afterwards. She gave me some aloe vera cream for the burns.
“By the time I got home, huge blisters covered my face. I went for a nap, but when I woke, puss had oozed from my wounds and dried crunchy on my face, hair, body, bed and clothes. The wounds themselves were red and raw.
Most read in Fabulous
“That was six years ago, and I still have scars. Mortified about how I looked, I hid myself away and broke it off with the guy I’d been on two dates with.
“I’m still single to this day. I got laser to make me feel better about myself, but instead it wrecked my confidence.”
Non-surgical procedures have exploded in popularity in recent years.
Laser hair removal — favoured by many Love Island contestants who appear to remain hair-free during their time on the show — was valued as an industry at £673million globally last year.
Rosie Williams, a contestant on the 2018 series, took her own IPL laser hair removal equipment, while viewers have wondered how this year’s girls have kept their perfectly preened bikini lines
Fillers, Botox and other tweakments are on the rise too.
However, complaints — mainly against practitioners with little or no medical training — are rife.
Nursing her injuries, Rachel went to A&E and was given antibiotics for infected burns.
She said: “My beautician blamed the numbing cream I used before my treatment but it was one she recommended on her website, although she hastily removed this after I complained.
Puss had oozed from my wounds and dried crunchy on my face, hair, body, bed and clothes. The wounds themselves were red and raw.
Rachel Dodd
“It’s an oil-based product so it’s possible it sunk into my skin and caused issues.
“My wounds took months to heal and I had to wear two huge plasters on my face.
“Strangers would stare at me in the street so I stopped leaving the house, apart from for essentials. If I needed to do a food shop, I’d wait until dark.”
Over the past six years, Save Face, a Government- approved register of accredited practitioners, has received nearly 8,000 complaints about botched non-surgical treatments but only one has resulted in a criminal conviction.
Director of Save Face, Ashton Collins, says: “The psychological impact it has on people’s lives, the number of lost jobs or relationships, is immeasurable.
“People underestimate the very real consequences of a cosmetic procedure gone wrong.”
Emily*, 36, from Glasgow, got laser hair removal on her top lip, underarm, bikini line and legs while living in Australia.
Moving back home to Scotland, she found a woman to do it all for £200.
86% of botched treatments are done by people with no medical training.
Sun source
Emily, says: “She started on my bikini line and it was instantly excruciating. She said, ‘This machine is sometimes more painful but it’s stronger and you won’t have to come back for as many treatments’.
“When she moved to my top lip, I said, ‘It feels like it’s on fire right now, is that normal?’
“She said, ‘Sorry, I think I might have burnt you’.
“My clinician in Australia said the setting the lady had used was too high for my skin type.”
Ashton Collins says: “Clinics want to be competitive and offer cheap treatments to lure people in, so they inevitably end up buying laser machines from China at a fraction of the cost, and often they’re very dangerous.”
Emily had gone to a clinic with five-star reviews online, which had been recommended by a friend.
Reflecting on the October 2020 treatment, she says: “When I woke up the next morning, I could not believe what I was seeing. My skin was charred black and blistered.
“She’d even burnt my hip and in between my bum cheeks — going to the toilet was excruciating.
I’m still single to this day. I got laser to make me feel better about myself, but instead it wrecked my confidence.
Rachel Dodd
“My underarms felt like someone had put a cigarette out on my skin, there were all these little burns.
“Thank goodness my top lip was OK. It’s a bit pigmented now but there’s no scarring.
“This has affected my sex life. Even when the pain stopped, I was so embarrassed about how I looked as the burnt skin flaked off and left me with white patches. I didn’t date for seven months.
“I used to love how I looked but I don’t think I’ll ever be as body-confident now.”
Emily complained and got a refund.
She adds: “I want women to think twice about whether they really need these treatments. You could be left scarred, physically and mentally.”
Similarly, Rachel adds “Every time I look in the mirror, I’m reminded of what happened.
“The marks have improved a lot but I still have red spots on my face. In the weeks following the treatment, I thought, ‘I look hideous’.
93% of complainants believed laser treatments were low-risk.
Sun source
“Even now, I don’t trust men when they say they fancy me, I’m very standoffish. This has really impacted my dating life.”
And it’s not just dodgy laser treatments that have been reported to result in injuries.
Some 79 per cent of practitioners reported to Save Face in 2020 were believed to be uninsured — as it’s not a legal requirement.
A much-needed new law will soon make it illegal to inject fillers and Botox without a licence.
And in October 2021, in a victory for The Sun’s Had Our Fill campaign, tough new laws kicked in banning clinics and salons from giving under-18s Botox and fillers unless for GP-approved medical reasons.
But Save Face’s Ashton says more needs to be done to enforce existing laws.
“Not enough is being done by the regulators,” says Ashton.
“When it comes to training and insurance, we’ve investigated a lot of people who just lie, mocking up certificates on their computers, then hanging them on the wall.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
For more information visit and mcb777.site/hadourfill.
* Emily’s name has been changed.
Tips on staying safe
SAVE FACE’s Ashton Collins’ six top tips if you want a laser treatment:
- Always visit an accredited clinic where there is oversight from a trained health professional such as a doctor, nurse, dentist or prescribing pharmacist.
- Avoid cheap treatments and time-limited offers because it may indicate corners are being cut.
- Do your own research. Visit your chosen practioner’s website to see examples of their work and check testimonials.
- Arrange a consultation and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Discuss any concerns and desired outcomes, and ask what aftercare will be available.
- Ask to see their Core Of Knowledge Certificate and if they work with a laser protection adviser. Don’t be afraid to walk away if you do not feel comfortable.
- Use Save Face to find a practitioner who has been assessed and verified to ensure that they are appropriately trained and insured, using safe equipment and machinery, and operating from a safe and hygienic clinic.
