A woman who suffered excruciating pain during laser treatment at a cosmetic clinic and ended up with burns on her leg and scars on her chest and face has been awarded €125,000 by a High Court judge.
Mr Justice Paul Coffey said it was very clear to him that the woman’s sense of suffering was compounded by the fact there was no aftercare offered by Dundrum Cosmetic Clinic ten years ago.
He said he was satisfied the woman who cannot be named by order of the court suffered a very serious injury as a result of the laser treatment carried out in May 2015 and that it affected her confidence, and lifestyle afterwards along with her appearance.
The 58-year-old woman had sued Amber Cosmetic Ltd with registered offices at Churchtown, Dublin which at the time carried on business as Dundrum Cosmetic Clinic at Dundrum, Dublin.
Judgement had previously been granted against Amber Cosmetic Ltd in default of appearance and the case was before the court for assessment of damages only.
Opening the case, the woman’s counsel Barney Quirke SC instructed by Keans solicitors told the court she now faces a lifetime of treatment and discomfort and the impact on her of the laser treatment has been huge.
Urging the court to award a six-figure sum, he said the injury was in the most severe scarring category. In evidence, the woman said she had paid €1,500 for three laser treatments for thread veins in her face, hair removal on her legs, and a mark on her chest.
She said she was told to expect mild discomfort but as the technician worked on her leg with the laser she said the pain was excruciating. “The pain was getting worse and worse.
My leg was very badly burnt,” she said. She said the next day she went back to the clinic but she said “ they didn’t care. I felt completely dismissed by the company.”
She said they offered her aloe vera gel but she ended up on painkillers for a year and in 2019 she went to a dermatologist and now has annual laser treatment for her injuries.
She told the judge the company “couldn’t care less” and was blasé and its aftercare service was appalling. She said she always had lovely fresh skin but after the treatment, it was “red angry”, blotchy, and itchy.
She said before she had good skin and did not wear makeup but now has to put on layers because of redness and scarring. Before the laser treatment, she said felt content in her skin but since then it has made her feel self-conscious.
Mr Justice Paul Coffey said the woman had given unchallenged evidence that when the laser was applied there was excessive heat and, as a result, she suffered serious burn injuries.
He said the woman had been gifted by nature with a beautiful complexion and now she has to wear layers of makeup and her skin around the chest area is itchy and blotchy.
