‘Excruciating’: Mum left with ‘second-degree burns’ after laser hair removal
When Roxanne booked in for laser hair removal, all she wanted was to feel her best.
But she says she was left in “excruciating pain”.
Roxanne says she was in so much pain she could barely drive home from the appointment. Nine
“I knew straight away something wasn’t right. Literally felt like I was on fire,” she told A Current Affair.
“I got blisters, and then my skin started to peel away from my body.
"It wasn't until two days after where the burns really came out. Then I realised this is really serious.”
The mum-of-two found a special 73 per cent off deal on Groupon, with her husband purchasing the treatment as a Mother’s Day present.
She got eight sessions, an underarm and Brazilian package.
But when she arrived at The Laser Clinic, she got a rude shock.
“I noticed it was a house, a residential address. I was a bit nervous. I then went to the door and it was a male,” she said.
David Adamson describes himself as an "award-winning dermal therapist and respected industry educator".
Roxanne has second degree burns after the laser hair removal. Nine
Roxanne underwent a consultation with Adamson, detailing her medical history and current medications.
He told her he had been doing it for many years and was a teacher in the use of laser hair removal machines, she said.
He performed a patch test.
“That evening I then texted him with a photo of my underarm and said I have a burn on my underarm,” she said.
“He basically just said to me, sorry about that, and that he would adjust the settings and that we were good to go.”
Roxanne applied numbing cream before undergoing the laser procedure.
She says Adamson instructed her to use a pain scale of 1 to 10 if she felt discomfort.
“I would then say to him, yes, okay, four, five, six… there were a good couple eights,” she said.
“I still remember near the end saying to him, 'Okay, I’ve had enough, I think.' And he said to me, 'We’re about three to four zaps left and then we’re all done.'”
Roxanne says she was in so much pain she could barely drive herself home.
“I couldn’t shower. I was bathing myself with wet wipes.
“I said to my husband, 'Something is not right. I am on fire. Like I am in excruciating pain.'”
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Two days later, she went to her doctor.
“He let me know straight away I had second-degree burns and that I would have a long road ahead of me.”
The dental assistant took a couple of days off work.
When she provided Adamson with photos of her burns, he initially offered to cover the cost of her doctor’s appointment, provide cream and pain medication.
He even suggested visiting Roxanne at home.
But she said she didn’t want to see him again.
David Adamson describes himself as an “award-winning dermal therapist and respected industry educator”. Nine
Adamson operates his clinic from a suburban estate on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
When asked there by A Current Affair why the treatment would continue if Roxanne had told him it was an eight out of 10 in pain, he replied: “I would have stopped.”
When asked if she was lying, Adamson replied: "Yes. I’ll repeat that, yes, yes, and yes. It suits her case.”
Roxanne’s doctor says she’s been experiencing significant anxiety as a result of the burns she experienced.
Roxanne saying it’s been compounded by the ongoing stress of lodging an insurance claim.
Adamson tried to discourage it, saying it would affect his premiums.
“The treatment part of quotes that I’ve got is totalling around $18,000,” she said.
But she was only offered $3500.
She says she can’t wear sleeveless tops and turns the lights off in the bedroom.
She can’t even wear deodorant under her arms.
Adamson requested an interview on camera.
When asked how she suffered the burns, he replied: “I can’t absolutely say with 100 per cent confidence, I have a strong suspicion it was from phototoxicity,” he said.
“I believe, as we both know, that she was taking a drug called Lexapro."
Lexapro or Loxalate is a medication commonly used to treat anxiety, but it was prescribed to Roxanne by her doctor for a digestive issue.
It can increase a user's sensitivity to UV light.
“I was aware that it was highly risky. She came back and said [the] dose was halved some days beforehand and I took it at face value,” he said.
Roxanne’s doctor says the damage may be permanent.
“I would probably need to have a discussion with the doctor on an intellectual basis to listen to and, if necessary, challenge what he is saying,” Adamson responded.
Adamson also provided A Current Affair with a letter from the Aesthetics Practitioners Advisory Network, which states there is nothing to support a finding he acted negligently.
“Nobody can state factually, nobody in retrospect, as to the cause because it probably was not anything to do with my treatment, although the lights that I applied to her skin were highly instrumental in causing this,” he said.
When asked if he takes any responsibility for her injuries, he said: “I should have drilled down on the client’s anxious state, because generally speaking they’re not good clients to have.“
Roxanne says she has been left “feeling like a shell” of herself.
“I’m trying to warn other women before it happens to them. Whether it’s at David or other practices, just know what your rights are,” she said.
Roxanne is continuing to negotiate with Adamson’s insurer, which has slightly increased its offer over the claim.
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