Skin therapy left woman's face scarred

Afterwards the woman's face continued to burn and she developed swelling and blisters. She sought medical treatment and cancelled her future IPL treatments. Photo / Thinkstock

Health watchdog finds staffer who botched client’s treatment had only two days’ training.

A complaint about a beauty therapist who performed a skin rejuvenation treatment on a woman that resulted in burning, facial swelling and blisters has been upheld by the Health and Disability Commissioner.

The investigation revealed that the therapist had only two days' training with an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) machine before she used it on the woman and her clinic had no policy on obtaining patient information or providing aftercare.

In September 2012 the woman went to a beauty clinic to have IPL treatment.

She signed a consent form which said the possible side-effects of the treatment included blisters and burning.

The treatment went ahead and during the process the woman told the therapist her face was burning. She also repeated that she was in pain during the session. The therapist responded that the sensation was "normal".

Afterwards the woman's face continued to burn and she developed swelling and blisters. She sought medical treatment and cancelled her future IPL treatments.

She later complained to the HDC about the quality of her treatment, saying she had been left with scars on her face.

After an investigation, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Theo Baker released a report into the woman's care yesterday, upholding her complaint and making a number of recommendations in relation to the therapist.

She said that by failing to obtain adequate information about the woman's medical history, provide after-care information and carry out a skin patch test, the therapist did not provide her with appropriate care and skill and therefore breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers.

Ms Baker found that the clinic the woman was treated at did not have any policies regarding obtaining history, providing aftercare information or skin testing before treatment, making it "vicariouslyliable".

"As a health services consumer [the woman] was entitled to have services provided with reasonable care and skill. My independent expert adviser advised me that [the therapist's] treatment ... fell short of accepted standards in a number of areas," Ms Baker said.

She noted that the therapist had apologised to the woman and recommended she undertake further training on how to use the IPL machine and provide evidence to the HDC that she has done so within three months.

Apologies after bike accident

HDC Commissioner Anthony Hill released a report yesterday into the care of a man involved in a cycling accident. After the accident he was unable to move his limbs but when the ambulance crew arrived he had feeling back - a condition known as transient quadriplegia.

No note was made in the crew's notes about the condition. They took him to a public hospital.

A senior house officer requested x-rays of the man's cervical spine, thoracic spine and shoulder which were reviewed by himself and a senior medical officer.

Both doctors noted that the spine x-rays were incomplete, however, they determined the man had no clinical signs of a cervical spinal cord injury.

During subsequent treatment, medical investigation revealed the man had suffered a spinal cord injury.

Mr Hill found the senior medical officer breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights by deciding to discharge the man without sufficient information about his condition.

He recommended the senior medical officer, senior house officer and ambulance service apologise to the man.

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