A woman who underwent a new treatment to get rid of her acne scars claimed it left her with second-degree burns all over her face.
Melia Nielsen from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, underwent the £75 microneedling procedure, which uses small, sterile needles to pierce the skin, in July.
However, the 24-year-old financial worker was forced to rush to A&E when “the entirety” of her left cheek swelled and turned “a horrible purple color.”
Doctors reportedly confirmed it was a chemical burn and he was forced to endure months of “pain” and was left with a “huge scar.”
Now she is speaking out to urge others to “make sure you do thorough research, consult and choose your skincare wisely” to avoid facing the same fate.
Melia Nielsen from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, had been visiting a clinic for months for chemical peels as she battled her blemishes before trying a £75 microneedling procedure to treat her acne scars.
But the 24-year-old was forced to go to A&E when “the entirety” of her left cheek swelled and turned “horrible” and “purple.”
Nielsen shared the gruesome photos documenting her ordeal on social media and claimed the burns were the result of “incorrect methods on the part of the practitioner,” who had supposedly only completed a two-day training course.
Nielsen said, “I wanted to feel confident without makeup.” Now I’m in an even worse situation because I have a huge scar on my face instead of just a few stitches.
‘I was going to the clinic to get chemical peels and things to clear up acne. We were moving to microneedling to help remove the scars.’
He explained that he had had a session before and that “it was perfectly fine.” But at the second appointment the procedure “worn down” her skin.
Nielsen said, “As he did it, he went over and over the same area to the point where he wore away the first layer or two of my skin.” So it was essentially raw skin.
“At the time she never said anything about it, but she was actually bleeding. Only five or six days later, via message, she said she had noticed she was bleeding quite a bit.
“Because I was bleeding, she was cleaning the area, I don’t know if it was a toner or something, but it burned that new, raw skin.”
Ms. Nielsen remembers the doctor asking her if she was okay and saying the procedure was “painful.”
‘Then there was a small spot in the middle where it wasn’t red, it was white. He just told me to keep an eye on him and not to use anything harsh on him,” he added.
‘When I drove home, that part of my face was crying. I was like “I’m sure this isn’t normal.” I panicked the night it happened. I washed it with water and didn’t put anything on it.
When Ms Nielsen arrived home, she began messaging the doctor with photographs of her burned skin, but claims her messages were ignored.
The next day, Ms. Nielsen texted to say she was going to the emergency room because she had a chemical burn, and the doctor responded immediately.
Screenshots of the messages appear to show the doctor blaming Ms Nielsen for the burn and asking: “Have you not taken any medication or changed any products at home?”
Later messages also appear to admit that the doctor noticed that his skin was bleeding during the treatment and that he felt “terrible.”
When Ms Nielsen arrived home, she began messaging the doctor with photographs of her burned skin, but claims her messages were ignored. The next day, Ms. Nielsen texted to say she was going to the emergency room because she had a chemical burn, and the doctor responded immediately.
Screenshots of the messages appear to show the doctor blaming Ms Nielsen for the burn and asking: “Have you not taken any medication or changed any products at home?”
Later messages also appear to admit that the doctor noticed that his skin was bleeding during the treatment and that he felt “terrible.”
Microneedling involves a device covered with sterile, hair-sized needles that are passed over the skin.
The small punctures are believed to stimulate the healing process and improve the texture of the skin.
Products applied during or immediately after microneedling may also be absorbed more easily, proponents of the procedure say.
A chemical peel removes the top layers of skin with a solution, allowing the skin to grow back smoother.
Although redness and bruising can be side effects of both treatments, this should disappear within a few days.
Emergency doctors told Neilson he had suffered a chemical burn.
‘When I was in hospital, I had stopped crying but I was wet to the touch. It was very, very swollen. “It was practically my entire cheek up to near the eye,” he said.
She was given a water-based cream to treat the burn and told to apply it every hour for 10 days.
Nielsen claims doctors confirmed it was a chemical burn and gave him a water-based cream to treat the burn and told him to apply it every hour for 10 days.
She says she endured months of “pain” and was left with a “huge scar” that prevented her from receiving further cosmetic treatments.
Nielsen had been visiting the clinic since November 2023 and admitted she was “upset” by the doctor’s lack of “accountability” for her injury.
“What bothered me the most was that I had been going with her for seven or eight months and had gotten to know her very well,” Nielsen said.
“As soon as he finally responded, he was basically trying to say it must have been something I did.”
However, Ms Nielsen insists the burns were not caused by any products she herself used, adding that all skincare products she used were doctor recommended.
The customer admitted she regrets having the £75 cosmetic procedure because she “didn’t really need it” and “it will never completely go away”, leaving her struggling to put on her make-up.
Nielsen said: “It made me realize that I didn’t really need it and I’ve seen firsthand how things can go wrong.” I wouldn’t want to risk going through that ever again.
‘I suffered from hormonal acne. I just wanted to get to a point where it was clear and I didn’t have to keep putting on makeup to try to cover it up. I wanted to feel safe without him.
Although her skin is healing, she is now speaking out to urge others to “make sure you do thorough research, consult and choose your skincare wisely” to prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate.
‘It was painful. It hurt a lot for weeks. It was itchy, it was swollen, it was horrible.
‘Even now, if I rub it with my finger, it has a completely different texture to the rest of my face. It never disappears completely.
‘The girl who did this to me did two days of training and was allowed to put lancing tools and chemicals in people’s faces.
“I just want people to go to someone who may have a little more experience or even have extensive consultations and so on to prevent something like this from happening.”