Rise in number of complaints following substandard treatment and injury at uninsured beauty salons

Posted: 28/04/2015

The Penningtons Manches cosmetic surgery claims team has recently been approached by many people who have suffered injuries following treatments at beauty salons. They have subsequently discovered that the salon and/or therapist does not have insurance which means there is limited recourse for compensation.

Beauty salons offer a range of non-surgical treatments such as cosmetics, skin care, microdermabrasion products, retinoids, antioxidants, peels and minor cosmetic procedures such as Botox, dermal fillers and laser hair removal (including IPL). As many of these treatments involve sensitive areas, it is not surprising that, if something goes wrong, it can have a potentially devastating impact on the individual. 

People often do not realise that, regardless of the experience of the therapist, there is always a risk that something can go wrong and a client/patient should always check that the therapist is appropriately qualified and insured before having the treatment. 

One recent enquiry involved a young woman in her 20s who had hair laser treatment (IPL) on her bikini area, legs and stomach at a beauty salon. During her initial consultation, the woman found the therapist to be extremely knowledgeable about the procedure and very professional. On this basis, she went ahead with the laser hair treatment, expecting to have several courses over a number of months. Unfortunately, following the first session, she suffered extensive burns leaving her with significant and permanent scarring of the naval and bikini areas. It subsequently transpired that the therapist’s equipment was on too high a setting for the patient’s skin tone and complexion.

Having been provided with the photographs of the injuries, it was clear that she had been left with a permanent injury and is extremely self-conscious about the area as a result. Our initial investigations into the therapist’s qualifications revealed that she was not insured and the salon did not have any insurance cover in place to cover the technician who treated the client. On this basis, it was unlikely that the technician could have met the terms of any judgment if a claim were successful and we were therefore unable to assist. 

Amy Milner, a solicitor in the Penningtons Manches clinical negligence team says: “This was a situation where the client had been left with permanent scarring as a result of the therapist using an incorrect setting on the IPL machine. The injury was completely avoidable but, without appropriate insurance cover, the client had no recourse to bring a claim. Sadly, this is a common occurrence and it is imperative that people who want to have non-surgical treatments at beauty salons find out what qualifications the therapist has and whether they are insured. If they are not sure, it is not worth taking the risk.”

Anyone concerned about the treatment they have received can call our specialist cosmetic surgery team free for an initial no obligation chat.

Return to news headlines