Health manager Vanda, 55, from Ilford in east London said the beauty therapist who treated her said she might feel uncomfortable as the treatment started – but she that as the treatment began she felt “unbearable” pain.
Laser therapy targets the hair follicle – Vanda had painful ingrown hairs beneath her chin and wanted to improve her appearance.
The Daily Mail reports that she is one of the cases being highlighted in the programme Extreme Beauty Disasters.
She told the programme:
“I was completely shocked by the amount of pain, it really hurt.
“I had the first treatment and sat straight up because it was so excruciating. I was told it was meant to hurt, so she did it again but it was so bad I said I wanted to go. They then said they thought the machine was up too high.
“When I left the shop I must have been in shock, I was shaking so much I couldn't drive my car and my face felt like it was on fire.”
Vanda was in so much pain that several days after the laser therapy she went to see her GP, who told her she had been burned by the laser.
Vanda – who has Afro-Caribbean skin – was left with white patches of scar tissue where the burns occurred.
She said that the experience has left her “feeling like a fool”.
“I still have hairs so I am back to square one but now I have additional burn marks too.
“I did this to raise my confidence but it's made me think people are looking at me and asking: ‘What happened to her?’
“I can't believe I let someone do this to me – I feel like a twit,” she said.
Skin expert Dr Sam Bunting – who is an adviser on Extreme Beauty Disasters – said she was “shocked “ by Vanda’s experience.
“Laser surgery can be uncomfortable – but it shouldn't be agony, so it was a real alarm bell when Vanda sat up and asked them to stop after the first shot,” Dr Bunting said.
Cosmetic dermatologist Dr Fazeen Zavahir also said that the therapy which Vanda is likely to have undergone – intense pulse light therapy (IPL) – is not recommended for people with black or Asian skin, as it is more likely to burn people with dark skin. IPL is also cheaper and not as precise as laser therapy.
“I suspect lasers weren't used but intense pulse light therapy, which is not recommended on dark skin types,” Dr Zavahir advised.
Vanda has now undergone laser therapy and the treatment has successfully tackled her problem with ingrown hair and also scarring from her previous treatment.
Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – No win no fee Laser Therapy Claims
Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors able to advise on how to make a no win no fee claim for negligent cosmetic surgery, including negligent laser therapy or negligent IPL.
Personal injury claims relating to negligent laser therapy have to be made within three years of the date of injury or diagnosis of injury.
For expert legal advice on no win no fee Laser Therapy Claims, call Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.