A Facial That Went Horribly Wrong Left Our Beauty Director With Raw Skin for Days

Samantha Lauriello
A Facial That Went Horribly Wrong Left Our Beauty Director With Raw Skin for Days

Having worked as a beauty editor for 13 years, it's safe to say Heather Muir has had plenty of facials. She's currently the beauty director for both Health and Real Simple, so testing out new treatments is part of the job. Normally it's really exciting, but just two weeks ago, Muir tested a treatment that left her traumatized.

She got an invitation from a publicist to sample a free “red carpet” facial from a “board-certified master esthetician,” she tells Health. As a beauty director, Muir gets invitations like these all the time. She gets asked to try everything from new hair color treatments to the latest teeth whitening technology. They're usually super high quality, so she didn't think this one would be any different.

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PSA: Two weeks ago, I accepted a publicist’s invitation to try a “red carpet” facial from a “board certified master esthetician.” Like I’ve done many times, I jumped at the chance to experience a fancy (free) facial, after confirming there would be no downtime, as I was filming hours later. This time, however, the result was different. Instead of leaving with glowy skin, I left with a hard lesson learned. Please know, I’m not posting this to get revenge or to put anyone “on blast” but to share what I took away from this scary experience. I wouldn’t be doing my journalistic duty to only cover the good stuff. I trust people (strangers) with my hair, my skin, my body, thinking that because of my job, I’d only receive the best. Numerous times throughout this facial, I felt uncomfortable, which I verbally expressed as burning, stinging, and on fire. I was told I must be sensitive and even asked if I had a pacemaker (I do not). When I went to the bathroom to change, I saw my skin—red, raw, and with a beating sensation—I knew something was wrong. I was told “well, that’s what I was supposed to promote,” and to drink lots of water and moisturize with the oil capsules I had been given. So many emotions followed and everyone had an opinion on how to handle, but after reflecting, here is what I want to pass on: 1.) Go with your gut. When something doesn’t feel right; leave. Simply remove yourself from the situation no matter how awkward it feels in the moment. I wish I had. 2.) Skin heals—fast! Along with my incredible derm (who prescribed a miracle-working wound cream; ➡️ to see slide 10), my skin is looking and feeling *almost* back to itself. 3.) Be grateful. A day after the facial, I had a shoot. I’m not the type to cancel (regardless of looking like I was attacked by a wild cat, woof). Without any mirrors and a job I love, I had a fun day and came home telling Dave I was so grateful for my normal skin with all of its imperfections, knowing that this would pass. To my husband, fam, friends, coworkers (who had an aloe leaf waiting), video crew who had to reschedule, and bosses, thank you for helping me and letting me handle this my own way; in my own time.♥️

A post shared by Heather Muir Maffei (@hmuir) on Feb 18, 2019 at 5:30pm PST

Before scheduling, Muir confirmed with the publicist that she wouldn't have any redness following the facial. She knew a bit of redness was normal with certain treatments, but she had to be in a video shoot for work later that day, so her skin needed to be camera ready. The publicist assured her there was nothing to worry about.

But as soon as the esthetician started the treatment, Muir knew something wasn't right. It started to get painful, and soon, her skin felt like it was on fire. She repeatedly said how uncomfortable she was, but the esthetician told her she must just be "sensitive." She assured Muir that no one had ever had this reaction before, and everything would be fine. By the end, Muir's skin was throbbing in pain.

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Out of 13 years of getting facials similar to this one, Muir had never experienced anything like this. "When I saw myself in the mirror for the first time after the treatment, I knew something was terribly wrong," she says. Her skin was raw, red, and it was still throbbing.

She quickly told the esthetician how concerned she was, but Muir recalls she just shrugged it off and said this was the treatment she was told to promote. She instructed Muir to drink plenty of water and moisturize, but Muir knew that wasn't going to cut it.

She immediately went to her personal dermatologist and was prescribed the wound cream Luxamend. Her dermatologist said it seemed like she had chemical burns but hopefully wouldn’t have permanent scarring, although she did say if Muir had a darker skin tone, the lasting effects could have been much worse.

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It took about a week and a half for her skin to start to improve, and now, two weeks after the facial, she says she feels nearly healed, with just a few scratches visible from certain angles.

"When you feel like something is off, you just have to listen to your gut," she says. "I did tell her multiple times that I was uncomfortable, but I never told her to stop, and I really regret not doing that. I wish I would have just told her, 'Thank you for your time, but this isn't okay with me. I'm going to leave.'"

Bottom line: Do your research before signing up for any treatment, no matter how credible it sounds. In her invitation, the publicist mentioned multiple celebrities who "love" this facial, so Muir obviously assumed she would love it, too. From now on, she'll always double-check the facts.

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