A 17-year-old Iowa student was told she would be scarred for life after suffering severe second-degree burns from a trendy hair removal method.
Allison Boles was rushed to the emergency room after burning the skin on her thumb with boiling melted sugar, and then doctors told her she needed a skin graft to repair the damage.
Sugaring involves using a sticky mixture of warm sugar, water, and lemon juice. This is applied to the skin and torn off, removing the hair.
The method has gained popularity in recent years, with proponents claiming it is a less painful and more “natural” alternative to regular hot, strip wax.
Allison Boles, 17, ripped the skin off her entire thumb in February after following a tutorial on sugar waxing, which is supposedly more natural and less painful than other hair removal techniques.
However, fans have taken to TikTok to share their DIY sweetening methods, in a bid to save their followers money.
Tutorials showing how to prepare the hot sugar concoction and apply it to the skin attract millions of views on the platform.
Allison Boles, 17, was fascinated by the clips and decided to try it herself in February.
Her mother, Natalie Renken, the office manager, said: “Allison told me that earlier that day she had seen a TikTok video about how to make sugar wax. You can use it to shave your armpits, legs and other areas.
‘The original video just appeared on his TikTok ‘for you’ page. He hadn’t been looking for it, but after watching the first video he searched more on TikTok and then did some more research online.
‘She did her research and everyone said the same thing. You use equal parts sugar, honey and water and bring it to a boil.
‘Then you put it in a glass container and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour or two so that it cools quickly. Then you put it in the microwave to heat it up and make it flexible.
“Allison followed these steps and, while stirring the sugar wax, some of it exploded and landed on her thumb.”
When she attempted to remove the wax, the skin on Allison’s finger “peeled back” to reveal bright pink raw flesh.
Later that day, an unsightly three-inch blister formed on his thumb, where the initial burn had been.
“I took her to the emergency department right away,” Natalie said.
The skin on Allison’s thumb blistered into a pocket measuring three inches and she was told she would likely need a skin graft.
The hospital bandaged Allison’s wound and said it would be at least five weeks before the injury affected her health.
Once Allison told the doctor what happened, he said he had watched the TikTok videos and explained that putting the hot wax in the refrigerator was the biggest mistake.
“When the wax is in the refrigerator for only an hour or two, it does not cool evenly, which leaves hot spots in the wax,” Natalie said.
“When you then put it in the microwave, these bags will heat up even more, but the other pieces of wax will only heat up, causing a combustion reaction that explodes the hot bags.
“The doctor said they had another young woman in the emergency room about a week earlier with the same injuries.”
The doctor diagnosed Allison with a severe second-degree burn and explained that she might need a skin graft. She would probably be scarred for life, the doctor added.
After a doctor dressed the wound, Allison was taken to a specialized burn clinic for further examination.
Gruesome images show skin torn off thumb as a result of boiling wax
Fortunately, Allison’s thumb healed on its own within five weeks without the need for plastic surgery.
This is not the first time that experts have warned about the risks of home hair removal with sugar wax.
In 2021, intimate health specialist Stephanie Taylor told British online magazine The Tab that it can be very difficult to get the temperature to a safe level, which explains the spate of injuries.
‘Sugar can cause serious burns on the sensitive skin of the intimate area if the water temperature is too high when applying it. This can cause painful burns, dangerous infections and irreversible scarring,” he stated.
He added that it is “concerning” that the sugar wax recipe is “very similar” to a homemade substance that inmates often use as a weapon, called napalm.
Now, Natalie is urging TikTok to impose age restrictions on DIY tutorial videos to warn other social media users about the potential risks.
TikTok noted that content like the sugar wax trend is not exclusive to TikTok and is widely available on other platforms.