TRUE STORIES: "Our favourite beauty treatments left us worse off"

Massages, manicures and facials are supposed to beautify and relax you, but these five women say that their treatments left them scarred, bruised, burnt and infected instead. Read on for the real-life accounts of when beauty treatments have gone wrong, so horribly wrong. 

“A deep-tissue body massage left me bruised”

“After a stressful month at work, I was looking forward to a deep-tissue massage. It was my first time doing such a treatment; a friend recommended it after I told her how tense and achy my muscles were.

“I’d always preferred hard massages over gentle ones, so when the masseuse asked me if I wanted her to use firm strokes, I said yes. The massage, which lasted about an hour, was pretty painful, and I winced every time the masseuse kneaded my body. She certainly wasn’t kidding about the pressure! As uncomfortable as it was, I didn’t tell her to stop because I thought that my tight muscles needed something intense.  

“The next morning, my body ached all over and I noticed bruises on my shoulders, arms, back and legs. They made me look like I’d just come out of a bar fight! I consulted a doctor, who told me that the bruises were likely from the massage – the intense pinching, rubbing and kneading had broken the tiny blood capillaries under my skin, causing them to leak.

“Over the next several days, I had to wear long-sleeved tops and pants to hide the bruises and shower with cold water to reduce the pain and swelling. Since then, I’ve been too afraid to have another massage.” – Sharon*, 40, editor

TIP: Massages are meant to relax, not hurt you. If you experience pain or discomfort at any point during a massage, let your therapist know immediately.

“I tried a hair relaxing treatment and it burned my scalp”

“Tired of my frizzy, curly hair, I decided to go for a straightening treatment at a small salon near my place. I’d never applied any harsh chemicals to my hair or scalp before so I was a bit worried, but the hair stylist assured me that I would be fine.

“When the relaxer lotion touched my scalp, I noticed a tingling sensation, which was bearable. But, within minutes, my scalp started to burn. Worried, I told the stylist to wash the chemical product out of my hair immediately, but she insisted that the sensation was normal. As the minutes went by the pain grew worse and I began to panic. Noticing my extreme discomfort, the hair stylist quickly rinsed the relaxer out of my hair. I refused to do anything else to my hair after that and left the salon, thinking that the pain would go away on its own.

“But it didn’t. My scalp stung like crazy and the pain lasted the entire day. I couldn’t even shampoo my hair because the skin felt so fragile.

“The chemical burn became more apparent over the next couple of days, with the burnt areas feeling tender and sore before developing into scabs. As itchy as the scabs were, I couldn’t scratch them because I had to let the skin heal. Thankfully only some parts of my scalp were affected but it took some time for the scabs to fall off and my skin to return to normal.” – Rebecca*, 34, designer

TIP: You should always insist on a patch test before undergoing any hair treatment that uses chemicals (like dye, perming lotion or relaxer lotion). A patch test will determine whether or not you’re allergic to the product and may prevent any negative reaction.

“I caught a skin infection from tainted manicure tools”

“I go for manicures every two or three weeks, so I didn’t think that my most recent manicure would be any different. But barely hours after I left the salon, I developed a mild skin infection, which I believe was due to untainted manicure tools.

“The manicurist had used a special trimmer to cut my cuticles. She must have been a little too aggressive because I remember the tool actually cutting my skin at one point. The cut was small and there was only a bit of blood, but I felt the pain. As the manicurist cleaned off the blood and sprayed some disinfectant on my nail, I figured I’d be okay.

“That evening the affected finger began to hurt and by the next morning it had become swollen. I had to go to the clinic to get it treated – the doctor told me that it was probably a bacterial infection called cellulitis and gave me some antibiotics to take. The medication worked, but I shudder to think what might have happened if I hadn’t sought medical treatment or if the infection had been more severe. Later, I learnt that the bacteria that cause such infections can spread through the bloodstream and cause a lot of damage. I don’t think I’ll be having another manicure for a while – I ‘m paranoid about contracting another infection!” – Lisa*, 34, teacher

TIP: Make sure the nail salon is clean – footbaths, metal tools, brushes and sponges should always be washed and disinfected in-between clients. To minimise the risk of infection, insist on using your own tools, and tell the manicurist not to cut your cuticles or shave the hard skin from under your feet.

“I suffered from a chemical peel burn”

“I booked in for a chemical peel to smoothen my complexion and get rid of my acne scars and some pigmentation spots. I’d never had a chemical peel before but a spa that I frequent was offering a deal too good to pass up.

“I wish I’d done some research about chemical peels beforehand, or at least asked the therapist about the process, because as soon as the product went on, my face felt super-hot, like it was on fire. The discomfort gave way to pain, and before I knew it, I was screaming at the therapist to remove the peel. Later, the therapist told me that my skin was probably ultra-sensitive to the product.

“I’m lucky that I got the product off in time, because later I found out that I could have suffered from irreversible skin damage like scarring. Although the discomfort lasted the next couple of days, I’m thankful that my reaction to the peel was only mild. I certainly won’t be going for another chemical peel anytime soon.” – Clarice*, 28, musician

TIP: If your skin is sensitive or problematic (for instance, you have severe acne), you should avoid peels altogether. Alternatively, find out if there are any similar treatments that suit your skin type. And be sure to get the treatment from a qualified therapist or doctor – he or she should test your skin’s suitability to the peel beforehand.  

“My skin tore during a Brazilian wax”

“I went for a routine Brazilian wax a couple of years ago and was horrified when the treatment damaged my skin. In the first place, the wax was too hot so it scalded my skin, but when the therapist ripped it off, she did it a little too harshly and ripped a small amount of skin off by accident. I felt the pain immediately and screamed. It was the worst pain I’d ever experienced, but worse, I was worried that the wound would become infected.

“I had to keep an ice pack on my private parts the rest of the day and see a doctor to treat the affected area. I couldn’t walk or sleep properly for the next few days either, because the tear was too painful.” – Kate*, 30, sales executive

TIP: Before you have any hair removal treatment that uses wax, you should make sure that your skin isn’t sensitive to the product and that the therapist is a trained and experienced waxing professional. If the wax is too hot let the therapist know right away.

*Names have been changed