Horribly ripped skin during a Professional facial wax, please help! Pics attached.

[Itsfreetobekind]

Hi everyone, (pics attached)

I decided to have my face waxed by a professional because doing it myself is a fiddly job at best.

Before booking, I spoke to the beautician and I said I've gotten a scar before on my face with OTC wax strips and she said it should not have happened if done right because the skin needs to be pulled taut to prevent that.
I agreed and said that's why I need a professional to do it this time and she's been doing this for 10 years.

Started off with a mind numbingly painful Hollywood wax - I was literally seeing stars - followed by tummy and then face which was a neverending nightmare too. Problems:

1. The skin was not stretched before pulling on the strips.
2. So this meant pulling the cloth and my skin pulled along with it and no wax coming off my face. Cue several more one handed push and pulls to get it out.
3. Final rip that hurt so bad.
4. I felt a very thick layer of wax was used so the pulling just stretched out my face and copious amounts of wax like pulling on gum (it hurt).

But no stretching - lots of pain and MANY SCARS. See attached pics.

Why didn't I say anything while she was doing it? It was the last treatment of the session and I kept asking her to do it in the beginning and put pressure on after the rip (ladies you know much that helps) but eventually she just kept forgetting and did it her way and after the nether bits waxing - I was literally seeing galaxies of stars.

I rang her just now and all she had to say was "My apologies and try keep it clean and fingers crossed, it will heal over the next couple of days". I said I could send her photos but she wasn't so keen - said I could if I wanted to. Should I?

She is the owner of her business too. WWYD please? (Please be gentle, I've been up all night in agony and I'm going to see a GP today)

Thanks for the support everyone.

The GP said it wasn't a wound but that the top layers of skin had been taken off - which makes sense considering the wax was cooled. So hopefilly no scarring!

It's embarrassing to say but after finishing the Hollywood wax session, I noticed some unwaxed bits and so she did them again at the end - today I noticed that all those areas have scabbed over too.

Needless to say DH isnt allowed near my hoohaa. I was putting up with the swelling and pain but knowing there's scabs etc too is just cringe-worthy.

I've been so upset that this happened on a normal day - I would have been devastated if it was before my wedding like your experience annaojm. So sorry and I'm glad you got some sort of compensation at least.

Thanks everyone, I do hope I hear something back tomorrow and advice from them on whether to contact the beautician or not.
My face is looking scabby today. I feel sorry for my DH and neighbors who have been polite enough not to look away when speaking to me.

Oh lord I didn't read your OP very thoroughly and missed the bit about the Hollywood and tummy wax too!!!! Arghhhh. I think because you'd sent the pic of your face I just assumed that it was just your face that had been waxed.

Ouch and triple ouch. Not sure if it would help but have you taken any painkillers? Feeling even more angry on your behalf.

Ouch, bloody hell. - had she been in touch to even ask how you are ?

Take pictures of the foof skin too!

That's so bad! She should not be allowed near people, keeping the wax hot is the most basic rule.

I had an incompetent eyebrow waxer once who ripped the skin on my eyelid, and that healed with no scar so hopefully yours will too.

I can't say it enough, thank you MNers for the support. This is the slowest weekend ever.

I am only allowed to take paracetamol because I'm pregnant. I try to not take anything but had to for the horrible migraine the day after from stressing in agony all night after the incident.

A few hours after I rang her to say what happened she sent me a text saying she'd done some research and...

...Skin inflammation from waxing can cause Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation...

Now thanks to you lovely MNers reminded me of her text, I Googled the cause of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and it is caused by injury to the skin - which she has not mentioned in the text. She has written that it's caused by over exposure to sun, sun damage, medication and hormones.
Clearly not in my case.

I hope that helps my complaint.
I did not reply to her and I haven't heard anything since either.

Sorry to hear about your eyelid EatsLeaves ouch I bet that hurt so much.

Good luck OP, I hope it starts to heal soon.

I really recommend the silicone patches, I used them on my daughters face when cut it deeply. They will prevent/minimise keloid scarring or raised/indented scars.

I do facial waxing and threading.
Skin shouldn't come off if done correctly. The only time I've had this happen before euthanise wax is when the person has been used prescribed acne medications, which they disclosed afterwards! Even though it's on our consultation sheet .
I would stop after skin came off one area and advise the client of this. Skin needs supporting in waxing. There are so many terrible beauty therapists I find it very frustrating,

*during not euthanise lol

Sounds as if she's trying to rid herself of any blame here. Oh it's your hormones, over exposure to sun (well bearing in mind you live in the uk that's bloody unlikely bearing in mind we've had about 4 days of sunshine over the last 3 months.)

The only reason your skin is inflamed is because she's ripped the top layer of it off by the sounds of it! Think you did the right thing in not replying but take a screenshot of any texts. I do think they will help if you decide to take action against her. Gah!

Thank you everyone.

I don't think these are deep wounds. The GP is sure it's not wounds, just top layer grazed off. Or dermatitis. But i have no allergies or anything so it just injury to the skin.
He reckoned I would not have any scarring so I may not need to use the silicone sheets. But it's helpful to know that if the scabs do go that way, there is hope.

I've kept all her texts so that's one thing.

Just my luck that this weekend was the sunniest in months and I had to stay indoors.

I am scabby and gross so hopeully that means quick healing!

petroleum jelly can really help take the 'sting' out of graze type injuries - though please try a small area first.

I recently bought an enormous sunhat from village hats uk - it's by sur la tete and blocks all sun from the face so you could still get out and about in the sun? www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/sur-la-tete-packable-monaco-sun-hat-white-p109404z/?gclid=CPbimN2Mg9QCFckV0wodxuYBJQ

op please don't think you have to hide away! You are worth more than your appearance!

Do you think everyone who has a facial injury (think burns victims, or people who survived a car crash or whatever) should never be seen in public?

You have been injured and you currently look a bit different - that really shouldn't be a problem. If you friends judge you for it then they aren't friends!

Aw thank you morphene. My DH and friends have been lovely. I just thought it best to stay out of the sun for better healing.

I've been instructed to contact the beautician and get her details. I have texted her but no reply. She communicates via text but I guess she may be reluctant to hand them over.

Sounds like she's avoiding you.
Maybe ask a friend to make contact pretending to be a new client.
I'm desperately trying to think of an innocent reason your friend could need her details for...

You could get a friend to phone her posing as a new client and ask if she could do a treatment on her own premises due to having an extension/building work. That way you get her address. How does she advertise her business ?
Leave it a few weeks though.

Have you tried googling her mobile number?

If she has any adverts on the internet or a small site then chances are she will have her mobile number on it.

If she doesn't have her address on it but does have a website, you can try doing a whois lookup - which looks up who has registered a domain (if she has registered dodgywaxer.com for example or whatever name she uses online) - and very often, that will give you an address and telephone number...

There are loads of whois lookups but try this one as it seems to bring back the address fields (not all of them do):
whois lookup

Thanks everyone I've tried Google and the reverse look up sites but nothing so far.

I've not received a reply yet but she's been online several times since so I'm pretty sure she's seen my SMS.

Can the solicitor continue without a postal address? Seems a bit odd that they need you to supply the home address.

Windy I'm guessing because for legal action to be taken a writ setting out the OPs grievances and what the next steps are, would need to be served in writing on the beautician.

That makes sense crabcanon.

I hope they find some information on her because I haven't heard back yet. I guess she must be going about her business as normal, thinking I'm a lunatic who is just overreacting.

Attached face pics are not an overreaction methinks. These are from last night.

It does look so very sore.

I only asked about the address as I would have thought solicitors have other means of finding out someone's address rather than asking the victim.

Do you have a friend who could contact her and hire her for a treatment (preferably something non dangerous) and ask to see a copy of her liability insurance, 'for their own reassurance'
That will have her address on it.

Hi everyone. The solicitors did have a look for her and I think they're proceeding so they might have found her.

I can't believe that she avoided my SMS and didn't reply at all. It's been a week.

Dancing your idea is good but she would probably suspect me, considering I did ask for her insurance details just last week. How many clients would even bother to question that?