bsheets
Fri, Jul-06-07, 05:29
Wax rash ends in dash
Grant McArthur
July 06, 2007 12:00am
Herald Sun
A BOTCHED brazilian waxing turned into a horror story for a young Melbourne woman who almost died after the beauty treatment went wrong.
The 20-year-old suffered a life-threatening infection after some minor bleeding while being groomed by a trainee waxer.
Within a fortnight the diabetes sufferer, who has a lowered immune system, was suffering excruciating pain, a fever and a rash extending to her chest, arms and neck.
Other areas of her body became so badly infected, doctors thought she had a flesh-eating disease until they were finally able to examine her under a general anaesthetic.
Doctors at the Austin hospital unit saved her life with antibiotics last year, but they were astounded when just six months later the same woman presented with a similar condition -- this time caused by shaving.
The unnamed woman is one of 90 Victorians who went to hospital last year with waxing injuries, according to figures prepared for the Herald Sun by the Monash University Accident Research Centre's Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit.
But because of her poorly managed diabetes and low immune system the results for this woman were almost catastrophic, said the Austin's director of infectious diseases, Prof Lindsay Grayson.
"This case represents one of the more extreme examples and this patient would have died without appropriate medical care," he said.
"This didn't occur just once, it occurred twice, and we have had other cases, though never as serious as this, where people will do strange things to do what they perceive as beautiful.
"Many of these new beauty treatments may be fine for healthy people, but patients who have weakened immune systems should think twice about having these.
"Waxing is a very gross way of removing hair and in doing that, it is not possible to wax without some micro-trauma to the skin. That is normally OK, because our immune systems deal with it, but depending on the location it can have various risks."
A summary of the case features in the international medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases to inform doctors around the world. Prof Grayson said he hoped beauty therapists and those with low-immune systems would also take notice.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22025553-24331,00.html
Grant McArthur
July 06, 2007 12:00am
Herald Sun
A BOTCHED brazilian waxing turned into a horror story for a young Melbourne woman who almost died after the beauty treatment went wrong.
The 20-year-old suffered a life-threatening infection after some minor bleeding while being groomed by a trainee waxer.
Within a fortnight the diabetes sufferer, who has a lowered immune system, was suffering excruciating pain, a fever and a rash extending to her chest, arms and neck.
Other areas of her body became so badly infected, doctors thought she had a flesh-eating disease until they were finally able to examine her under a general anaesthetic.
Doctors at the Austin hospital unit saved her life with antibiotics last year, but they were astounded when just six months later the same woman presented with a similar condition -- this time caused by shaving.
The unnamed woman is one of 90 Victorians who went to hospital last year with waxing injuries, according to figures prepared for the Herald Sun by the Monash University Accident Research Centre's Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit.
But because of her poorly managed diabetes and low immune system the results for this woman were almost catastrophic, said the Austin's director of infectious diseases, Prof Lindsay Grayson.
"This case represents one of the more extreme examples and this patient would have died without appropriate medical care," he said.
"This didn't occur just once, it occurred twice, and we have had other cases, though never as serious as this, where people will do strange things to do what they perceive as beautiful.
"Many of these new beauty treatments may be fine for healthy people, but patients who have weakened immune systems should think twice about having these.
"Waxing is a very gross way of removing hair and in doing that, it is not possible to wax without some micro-trauma to the skin. That is normally OK, because our immune systems deal with it, but depending on the location it can have various risks."
A summary of the case features in the international medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases to inform doctors around the world. Prof Grayson said he hoped beauty therapists and those with low-immune systems would also take notice.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22025553-24331,00.html