"Laser hair removal left me with burns like a chessboard on my face and neck"
- 6 months ago
A woman says laser hair removal treatment left her with agonising 'chessboard' burns on her face and neck.
Thobe Moyo, 38, suffered after booking her annual appointment.
Thobe - who suffers from excess hair growth due to polycystic ovaries syndrome (PCOS) - decided to have the hair removal treatment in September 2023.
She had previously undergone it eight times and so believed she knew ''what to expect'' from the session.
But she claims she was assigned a trainee and the treatment to the left side of her neck quickly turned painful with her feeling an ''intense and unfamiliar burning sensation''.
Afterwards, Thobe was shown her skin in a mirror which revealed dark squares covering her neck and jawline.
She believes the burns occurred when the trainee "forgot to switch on the cooling mechanism built into the laser".
Despite querying the treatment, Thobe says she was still required to pay £13 for the hair removal.
Thobe, a consultant, from Cape Town, South Africa, said: "My neck is burnt to a crisp. I've got dark rectangles along my whole neck.
"I'm so anxious to leave the house. I just wanted to treat my symptoms but now I wish I never went."
Thobe - a graduate of the University of Cape Town - started to grow facial hair when she hit puberty at the age of 18.
She was diagnosed with PCOS - a condition which causes irregular periods and excess hair growth.
Thobe said: "I hated shaving my face. I had to shave once a day before I found out about this other treatment.
"I was a young woman that needed razors for my face. I looked for anything that could help."
She discovered laser hair removal after graduating university - when a friend recommended it to help with her symptoms.
She was delighted with the results of her initial treatment and was able to stop shaving every morning.
Thobe said: "The first few times I had the treatment, the appointment was smooth and fairly cheap.
"All prices have differed, but it's worth it. My facial hair wouldn't grow back for months.
"There was a slight burn, but it cools down fairly fast."
In September 2023, Thobe tried a different salon after reading ''glowing'' reviews online.
She booked a lower face hair laser hair removal for £13.
On arrival, she advised that her skin would be left with a slight redness after the procedure and would require a cold compress.
Thobe said: "Everything seemed normal. They took my information and explained it all to me.
''But within minutes I noticed a zapping feeling and felt like my skin was being burnt.
''I didn't want to complain as I assumed they'd know what they were doing.
"Although I did raise my concerns with it feeling very intense.
"They said it was normal and fiddled with the laser machine, thankfully after that it wasn't as painful.''
But afterwards, when she looked in the mirror, Thobe was shocked to see a pattern of dark rectangles all over her skin.
She said: "I was in complete shock,. I knew it wasn't normal, my skin had been burned.
Thobe Moyo, 38, suffered after booking her annual appointment.
Thobe - who suffers from excess hair growth due to polycystic ovaries syndrome (PCOS) - decided to have the hair removal treatment in September 2023.
She had previously undergone it eight times and so believed she knew ''what to expect'' from the session.
But she claims she was assigned a trainee and the treatment to the left side of her neck quickly turned painful with her feeling an ''intense and unfamiliar burning sensation''.
Afterwards, Thobe was shown her skin in a mirror which revealed dark squares covering her neck and jawline.
She believes the burns occurred when the trainee "forgot to switch on the cooling mechanism built into the laser".
Despite querying the treatment, Thobe says she was still required to pay £13 for the hair removal.
Thobe, a consultant, from Cape Town, South Africa, said: "My neck is burnt to a crisp. I've got dark rectangles along my whole neck.
"I'm so anxious to leave the house. I just wanted to treat my symptoms but now I wish I never went."
Thobe - a graduate of the University of Cape Town - started to grow facial hair when she hit puberty at the age of 18.
She was diagnosed with PCOS - a condition which causes irregular periods and excess hair growth.
Thobe said: "I hated shaving my face. I had to shave once a day before I found out about this other treatment.
"I was a young woman that needed razors for my face. I looked for anything that could help."
She discovered laser hair removal after graduating university - when a friend recommended it to help with her symptoms.
She was delighted with the results of her initial treatment and was able to stop shaving every morning.
Thobe said: "The first few times I had the treatment, the appointment was smooth and fairly cheap.
"All prices have differed, but it's worth it. My facial hair wouldn't grow back for months.
"There was a slight burn, but it cools down fairly fast."
In September 2023, Thobe tried a different salon after reading ''glowing'' reviews online.
She booked a lower face hair laser hair removal for £13.
On arrival, she advised that her skin would be left with a slight redness after the procedure and would require a cold compress.
Thobe said: "Everything seemed normal. They took my information and explained it all to me.
''But within minutes I noticed a zapping feeling and felt like my skin was being burnt.
''I didn't want to complain as I assumed they'd know what they were doing.
"Although I did raise my concerns with it feeling very intense.
"They said it was normal and fiddled with the laser machine, thankfully after that it wasn't as painful.''
But afterwards, when she looked in the mirror, Thobe was shocked to see a pattern of dark rectangles all over her skin.
She said: "I was in complete shock,. I knew it wasn't normal, my skin had been burned.