What to know
- An Instagram post by Namra Malik reveals her friend’s skin was allegedly cracking and swelling after getting a Cosmelan Facial at Facials by Meg.
- Upon sharing her concerns with the clinic, the customer was told the response was normal, and later allegedly denied further guidance outside of an appointment.
- Malik says the customer was later diagnosed with a chemical burn with severe bacterial infection, which prompted the clinic to stop responding to her concerns.
- A Toronto-based dermatologist says a chemical burn can be caused by specifics of the procedure, while a bacterial infection could be a result of lack of cleanliness.
- The dermatologist and Malik recommend customers proceed carefully with cosmetic procedures, inquiring about the clinic’s experience and complication procedures.
A Toronto woman is warning others to carefully research cosmetic clinics after she says her friend required emergency care following a facial treatment in Etobicoke.
In an Instagram video posted last week, a woman named Namra Malik shared screenshots of communication with the clinic and images of her friend’s skin, after she received a Cosmelan Facial at Facials by Meg.
According to Malik, after undergoing the treatment, her friend allegedly experienced burning, redness, pain, and swelling over her face. In the video, the woman’s skin appears to have a yellow cracking aspect.
Upon feeling the symptoms, she reached out to the clinic for help, along with photos of her skin condition and aftercare products she had been using. However, she says her friend was told repeatedly the condition was a “very normal” response to the treatment.
Eventually, Malik said the clinic warned it wouldn’t be able to provide her additional guidance outside of an appointment and advised to head to a walk-in clinic if she was still concerned.
The customer finally went to the emergency department, where she was allegedly diagnosed with contact dermatitis and a chemical burn with severe impetigo, which is a bacterial infection, and advised to suspend use of the Cosmelan products.
But when confronted about the prescribed products and diagnosis, the clinic allegedly stopped responding.
Dermatologist says condition could have been caused by lack of cleanliness
A Cosmelan facial is a multi-step cosmetic treatment which aims to eliminate hyperpigmentation, melasma, and dark spots.
According to the board-Certified Dermatologist and owner of DermAtelier on Avenue Dr. Renee Beach, while she does not know the specifics of the procedure, impetigo could be caused by a lack of cleanliness during the treatment.
“There’s supposed to be a certain level of cleanliness of the tools, cleanliness of the provider, cleanliness of the technique. When cleanliness of any of these is compromised…there can be conditions like impetigo,” she told Now Toronto.
Meanwhile, a chemical burn is influenced by the circumstances of the procedure itself, including which chemicals were used, how they reacted with the patient’s skin, how long they were left in, and more. Since these vary from procedure to procedure, it is not possible for an outside professional to tell what could have happened.
According to Beach, the outcome from these procedures can commonly look worse before they start to look better. However, if the condition appears to be worsening, with growing pain, fever, or discharge, they need to be re-assessed.
“Those are not normal for post-procedural outcomes, and they would be advised, in our case, to contact us immediately so that we can assess them, evaluate them, and then recommend specific treatment.”
A cautionary tale
Although more and more clinics offer cosmetic procedures including facials and chemical peels, Beach said customers should keep in mind these are sensitive procedures, which require a certain level of professionalism and experience, and can come with risks and complications.
Before going into a similar procedure, the dermatologist recommends customers inquire about the practicing professional’s experience.
“You ask, ‘How many procedures of this have you done?’ And you have to have a certain comfort number in your head that if they say, ‘I’ve done 10,’ you’re happy. If they say, ‘I’ve done 1,000 you’re happy.’ Whatever number that is for you, nobody wants to be a guinea pig,” she said.
In addition, she recommends customers inquire about any existing protocols in case of procedure complications at the clinic.
“I can’t blame anybody here. I don’t have all the facts, but try to do due diligence and understand that cosmetic procedures might look sexy on TikTok, and they might look cool on Instagram, and YouTube might make them look flashy. But the reality is, these are still procedures that carry risk and complications, and you don’t want to leave anything to chance,” she added.
Woman criticizes clinic’s communication
In the post about her friend’s experience, Malik said while she understands complications do happen in cosmetic treatments, she wished the situation was handled more seriously by the clinic.
She also warned other locals to seek medical attention if they notice concerning signs, and to avoid trusting clinics based on social media videos.
“Cosmetic treatments and chemical peels carry risks. We understand that complications can happen. That’s not what this post is about,” Malik said.
“Trust your instincts and don’t trust just any facial artist that gets a few million views on tiktoks!”
Now Toronto reached out to Facials by Meg for comment, but is still awaiting a response. This story will be updated once the response is received.
