checking the credibility of 'beauty therapists'

[AnAngelWithin]

my best friend has had a bit of a shocking experience with a 'beauty therapist' and paid her an awful lot of money for a procedure that has ended in a lot of pain and hasn't worked. I have only just found out about it and she was convinced by the therapists 'certificates' The poor love doesn't know what to do now. she realises she was probably stupid and has lost a lot of money as a result and i just wish i knew what to do to help her Is there any way I can check if these qualifications are genuine? The woman keeps ringing her now and is getting quite nasty.

Why does the therapist keep ringing her?

What did your friend have done (please dont say botox or anything else surgery related)

i think she could potentially ring the providers of the training, i.e the company whos e products she was selling / using and speak to them

why is the therapist ringing her? is your friend threatening legal action or somethng>

i watched a shocking programme recently, presented by lesley ash, and people could do a one day course and get a certificate to administer botox and other injections.

she had some kind of scalp tattooing donw cos shes got very thin hair and not much of it.supposed to make your hair appear thicker
so i thought this would be ok, well she have had 3 treatments so far & there is no differance at all, it is so painful when she have it done she said it wouldnt be, it bleeds then goes scabby. shes given her £2000 so far. the therapist keeps ringing her pestering her to book in more sessions and when she rang earlier, she was accusing my friend of not turning up to another appointment, well my friend hadnt booked another one cos she didnt want to go cos its too painful

good god, i would never got to a beauty salon for such a treatment, your poor poor friend. did she see a tricholgist or anyone else? £2000 for a lot of pain and no results is just awful. she must be devastated, was this salon recommended? stuff like this is beyond the realm of a beauty salon surely?

its just one person on her own set up in a fancy building. my friend was so desperate, she would do anything. she found her number in a local magazine and shes got a website as well.

that sounds a bit terrifying

she should see a trichologist for help, she would surely be better with a wig or specialised hair extensions.. scalp tatooing sounds brutal

yes it does. i couldnt believe it when she told me!! im looking on the website for the institute of trichologists at the moment to see if there is one nearby who can help her.

she should ask her gp for a referral. i am really sorry she has spent so much , clearly out of desperation

I would suggest that someone else ring the therapist to get info regarding her qualifications and possibly fabricate a story that her GP requires her insurance details to add to her file. Once she has this information, then she could ring them to check that she is covered for tattooing.

Clearly, any therapist would not advocate further treatments if it was too painful, not producing a result or a client had a severe reaction - however, this appears to be contrary to your friend's experience, so I suggest that she contact her GP and then a lawyer/ citizens advice bureau for advice.

Make sure she gets photographic evidence to substantiate any potential claim.

sounds hideous - the therapist should be insured so your friend should try for compensation; however, she should also be aware that there may be something in the treatment description that suggests it requires several sessions before results can be seen, in which case your friend might not have a legal leg to stand on. and but possible.
It does rather sound like the therapist is harassing her as well though and that is unprofessional.