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Fosters Solicitors

£11,000 secured for client injured by negligent beautician

Po Shan underwent Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment, resulting in long lasting burns to her face and neck.

Po Shan instructed the Fosters Solicitors’ Personal Injury team, who acted on a no win no fee basis and helped support her through a claim, successfully negotiating a settlement of £11,000.

Po Shan’s case

In August 2020, Po Shan underwent IPL, which resulted in long lasting burns to her face and neck. Po Shan had previously had the same treatment in the February following a patch test which saw no complications.

At her August appointment, the beautician mentioned to Po Shan that as it had been more than six months since her last IPL treatment, she should do a patch test before proceeding. However, the beautician said she was willing to waive this and Po Shan agreed to proceed with the IPL treatment on this basis.

During the treatment Po Shan experienced “a lot of pain” and told the beautician several times that it “was not the same as last time” and was hurting her. Po Shan explained that not only did the treatment feel more painful the second time around it also felt very rushed.

At the end of the second treatment Po Shan had burns on the right side of her face and neck. As these burns healed, she was left with persistent areas of excessive darkening (known as hyperpigmentation) on her face and neck which greatly affected her confidence.

Po Shan instructed Fosters Solicitors on a no win non fee basis and a claim was submitted, but liability was strongly denied. A medical expert was instructed to provide a report to say whether the treatment fell below the standard to be reasonably expected and to give an expert opinion on the extent of the facial injuries caused by the IPL treatment. Following a prolonged period of negotiation, our Associate Chris Turner secured compensation for Po Shan of £11,000.

Commenting on the case, Chris Turner said: “I was delighted to secure a good result for Po Shan. The British Medical Laser Association provides guidance to enable practitioners to safely provide this treatment – however, this is only guidance which, in many regions, is not followed. In England, there are differing standards region to region, with some of the London Boroughs, Nottingham, and some Essex Boroughs being subject to a licensing scheme to ensure safety and quality of this treatment.

In Norwich, where this treatment was provided, the licensing scheme does not apply, which allowed a practitioner to legally provide the treatment who was not suitably qualified (based on the BMLA guidelines). As seen in this case, the lack of licensing and safety standards can lead to disappointing outcomes or distressing injuries, it is therefore vital to ensure you do your research before starting any such treatment.”

Personal Injury claim experts

Fosters Solicitors’ Personal Injury team are here to provide support and advice on a vast variety of injury claims.

We want to work with you to achieve the best possible outcome for your claim.

We understand you will want to know how we can assist, so we offer a free of charge no obligation first meeting or chat, which we follow up with a full letter of advice. If you are in any doubt as to whether you have a claim, please do contact us, again completely without obligation.

We are also able to discuss how you can cover the cost of a claim, including through a no win no fee agreement.

Contact our experts › Our Personal Injury services ›

 

This article was produced on the 20th October 2023 by our Personal Injury & Group Actions team for information purposes only and should not be construed or relied upon as specific legal advice.

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