- Mum-of-two Vanda Thomas, 55, has been left with terrible scarring
- She suffered from deep burns by using the powerful laser on its highest setting
- Now Vanda is fighting for tougher regulations for laser hair removal treatment
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A woman has been left scarred for life after a beautician botched a laser hair removal treatment – on her face.
Mum-of-two Vanda Thomas, 55, has terrible scarring under her chin after she spent £50 to get some wispy hairs removed at her local salon.
But instead of leaving her with a smooth chin, Vanda is forced to cover up her scars daily with heavy make-up, after the unqualified beautician scored her face with deep burns by using the powerful laser on its highest setting.
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Vanda Thomas (left) shows the burns she suffered after she underwent laser hair removal treatment (right)
Vanda, a healthcare worker from Ilford, north London, went to the salon in February to treat herself to a confidence-boosting treatment, after she began noticing a small number of hairs sprouting from under her chin.
She said: ‘I had been there before for facials and massages, and the woman was really nice and friendly.
‘I thought long and hard about having laser hair removal treatment, and then decided I should go for it,’ she says.
‘When she put the laser on, it hurt so much I jumped out of the chair. It was such an intense burning.
‘The woman said it was normal, and did another patch, but that hurt just as bad.
‘Then she said that maybe she should turn the laser down. I have a high threshold for pain, but that was absolutely agonising,’ adds Vanda.
Left: the burns straight after the treatment; Right: how they look 6 months later
After completing the 20-minute treatment, Vanda left the salon with a burning sensation in her face.
It was only the next day that she realised something was seriously wrong, when her skin broke out in sores and blisters.
Her doctor told her the laser had caused first degree burns in her skin, which would leave permanent scarring.
Now Vanda has teamed up with a trade body, to call for tougher regulations for laser hair removal treatment.
The Association of Independent Healthcare Organisations is lobbying the government to introduce an official register of approved practitioners to prevent further injuries like Vanda’s.
Vanda said: ‘It was only afterwards that I realised these people didn’t need any training, or licencing, to operate quite dangerous machinery.
‘My face felt like it was on fire for days – all because she didn’t know how to operate the machine.
‘I want nobody else to go through what I’ve had to endure, and that’s why we need to make a change in the law to make certain these people have proper training.
‘At the moment we are unprotected by rogue beauty therapists with powerful lasers.’
Mum-of-two Vanda spent £50 to get some wispy hairs removed at her local beautician
AIHO operational director Sally Taber explained: ‘There isn’t any regulation at the moment and that puts people at risk, so always background check a practitioner and ask if they have had the training before considering treatment.
‘It was found that there hasn’t been as much risk with lasers, hence why the government does not support regulation – yet this is a problem but it’s the responsibility of the patients to find out about the practitioner.’
Laser hair removal, which involves high-powered laser lights killing hair follicles at the root, was regulated by the Care Quality Commission until 2010 when it stopped approving licences for non-surgical procedures.
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We want to make sure everybody who undergoes laser hair removal receives good standards of care and is aware of the risks.
‘We are working with Health Education England to review training and qualifications for providers of non-surgical interventions – including laser hair removal.’Â
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