Dd's tutors are saying she absolutely has continue to do this, should I step in?

[OutinmyMoHo]

DD17 is at college studying beauty therapy.

She's almost an adult so in general I don't get too involved with anything other than helping her fund the kits/uniform etc and asking her every day how things are going and being her guinea pig!

She is very much enjoying it and hopes to go onto theatre and special effects make up artistry in the future.

Amongst various treatments, one they practice several times a week are facials. They practice on each other for all the various treatments.

When DD started over a month ago she had fairly clear skin and always did have. Since having these weekly facials her skin has erupted into quite bad acne (the first photo is DD 8 weeks ago, the second is not DD but gives you an idea of how her skin now looks). She has become so upset and depressed as each time she has a facial it triggers more spots.

DD has asked the tutors several times if she can be excused from the facials for a week or two to allow her skin to settle but is told each time absolutely not, that it's part of her course and she must partake. She is happy to carry on giving the facials but just needs this break for her skin (and mental health's) sake. She says the tutor just won't allow her to step back even for a week or two.

She's very low about it and doesn't want to go out as she feels so self conscious.

I'm considering contacting the tutor on Monday and asking her to have reconsider and to give DD a break for a while?

Should I get involved? What would you do?

I did the NVQ Level 2, as an evening student, using Dermalogica products, which we used on paying clients, so a good product, known history. Your daughter looks like she may have contact dermatitis and I wonder what brand of product she is using, alongside knowing the ingredients of said products. Some products are used in college due to being cheap, can be very harsh and too many facials destroying the skin's natural mantle, so doing harm not good. They should not be continually practising on each other, and surely could have this aspect assessed and signed off by now. The tutor needs to look at the hygiene, product content and not continue in an action that causes harm. They are not there to make judgements, but to teach, ensure the health and welfare of those they teach and dynamically assess whether products used are causing harm. Given the time window from clear skin to inflammation, there appears to be an issue.

No that’s madness. Also incredibly bad practice for the qualified person teaching to encourage students, who likely all have a desire to earn money providing treatments in the future, to ignore skin complaints/reactions. They’ll all be out of business very quickly with dangerous practices like that.

Even if it’s not allergy related, facials aren’t for everyone as skin types are so varied. My skin doesn’t really react to anything but my sister has to avoid facials and products like the plague because it triggers acne breakouts.

Presumably her tutor wouldn’t think kids in culinary school should eat their peers dishes when it contains something they’re allergic or intolerant to just because it’s “part of the course”. I don’t see why this is any different.

That’s not acne it’s an allergic reaction.
GP note asap, and no facials till cleared.

I’d hope a decent salon would politely decline to do a facial on someone if it caused this sort of reaction, or even just if their skin was so sore looking. So they are undertaking in poor training practices, they’re putting your daughter at harm by ignoring her reaction, they’re pedalling non evidence based rubbish about diet being responsible for acne and they haven’t signposted appropriately (ie by telling your Dd to see a GP).

id not only say she’s not to continue but I’d be putting a complaint in. Your Dd should be in the students union at a post 16 college…..remember they can support her too.

Write a note saying the treatments need to stop immediately and you will be seeing the GP. If a client had this reaction they wouldn't continue the treatment. They sound totally clueless. Makes you wonder about their fitness to teach this subject. Common sense is certainly not being applied here.

I was going to say exactly this!

I would 100% email the HoD; I would definitely mention Ofsted (as in- concerns about teaching quality if the tutor is encouraging students to overlook reactions, and safeguarding), I would also mention that you are considering a report to the HSE . Don’t mention social media- it always undermines your argument- people assume you’re reverting to that because you don’t know how to navigate official routes, and treat your complaint with according lack of seriousness.

It’s a tough one, i’ve done a beauty therapy course and all the students have to practice on each other or they won’t gain experience. It’s unfortunately something your DD will have to fight with her tutor about herself as if my mum had spoke to my tutor she would have laughed in her face and I would have been isolated. It is a very very bitchy course so be careful.

They may have to practice on each other, but they absolutely do not and should not be encouraged to harm one another. That’s not good practice- that’s teaching really harmful practices.

I was initially prescribed it but have been buying online for a while. Only because they say not long term use, but after researching myself you can continue to use just make sure you apply suncream during day (which should be a given anyway.)

For a Tutor teaching beauty, the fact that your daughter's onset of acne has been dismissed as 'poor diet' and 'hormones', is quite worrying. A beautician wouldn't continue treatment on a paying customer, if their skin broke out like this every time they received the treatment. It would be unethical, unprofessional and repeated exposure to the reactive ingredients could be causing long-term skin problems. So therefore, the Tutor shouldn't be expecting your daughter to receive the treatments, regardless if she's training or not, that's irrelevant. The Tutor isn't a Doctor, and has no idea of the cause, and is clutching at straws, because she doesn't want it to be the products being used. It's much easier to blame your daughter's diet or hormones, than investigate the possibility that it is the products.

That has been my concern up until now. It is a very bitchy industry. This is dd's second year and I haven't particularly warmed to some of the tutors.

Then you need to support her in standing up for herself. Take her condition seriously; encourage her to go to the doctor, even go with her if she wants you to; coach her in what she can say to the tutors.

Other posters are making a very good point that these tutors are teaching the students very bad practice. If a client reacted to treatments like your daughter has, they would be discouraging the client from having more facials until their skin had healed, not pressing them to have more facials!

Who has facials several times a week, anyway?!

I’d be sueing any teacher who behaved like this. Willfully inflicting harm? No eay. I wouldn’t give a shit about ‘bitchiness’ either.