Harmed When Pursuing Beauty? Know Your Rights As A Consumer Of Cosmetics
Posted on: 30 April 2015
Like most people, you likely try to look your best, and you may purchase many personal care products, such as cosmetics and skin-care products, to help you achieve that goal. You may reward yourself with a weekly or occasional spa treatment to help you relax and unwind while being pampered with manicures, facials, or massages. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look great, and you surely shouldn't have to sacrifice your health in order to be beautiful. Unfortunately, things can go wrong during the pursuit of beauty, and you need to read on to find out what can go wrong and what you should do if it occurs.
1. Tainted Cosmetics and Skincare Products
You likely know that whenever you try a new skin care or cosmetic product that contains ingredients you have never used before, there is a risk of discovering an unknown allergy or breaking out in blemishes when using the product. However, there have been cases where batches of cosmetic products have been tainted with bacteria or mold that produce severe reactions and then sold on the market.
A typical allergic reaction to a product usually results in a little itchiness, slight skin reddening, and possibly hives, but any of these reactions should stop shortly after you cease using the product. If you have blemish-prone skin, then you may develop a few of blemishes that go away within a few days after you stop using the offending product.
However, if you use a product and experience a strange rash, outbreak of unusual bumps, or more serious problem, then you may be using a product tainted with bacteria or mold. The most important thing to do after you notice you are having a bad reaction is stop using the product immediately, but don't throw it out. Visit a local doctor to obtain an official diagnosis of your skin condition. Then, speak to an attorney who will likely advise you to send the product or a sample of the product to a laboratory to test it for contamination.
It is important that you don't just ignore the problem, as the product needs to be recalled by the manufacturer to prevent future consumers from suffering the same fate as you. Then, your attorney can help you work with the company that produced the product to receive compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and future medical treatments you may need to help your skin return to normal.
2. Spa Treatments Gone Wrong
If you ever wonder how spas can be so clean when serving so many clients, then the answer is that it takes a lot of work. Spas are held to strict cleanliness standards by law, and these standards protect the health of patrons. That means that spa staff members and owners cannot neglect any cleaning procedures, or it can result in one patron passing infection to another if equipment is not cleaned properly between patrons.
Tools used during facials, such as pore-extracting tools, can pass along Staph, MRSA, and even Hepatitis C when not cleaned between clients. Nail technicians can also pass fungal infections and bacterial infections from one client to another if they don't properly sterilize nail instruments. Massages can go wrong if massage tables are not clean or if a massage technician neglects to cleanse his or her hands properly between clients.
Just like when using new cosmetic and skincare products that you purchase to use at home, products used on you during spa procedures can trigger mild allergic reactions or cause a few blemishes. However, you need to take any type of skin reaction that you suspect may be unusual very seriously. Although you may be tempted to return to the original spa and ask them to "fix" the skin problem they may have caused, realize that trained estheticians can only do so much, and they may even make your problem worse when trying to treat it.
You need to visit a doctor to have any skin or nail condition you believe was caused or contracted at the spa. He or she can then help you begin treatment to heal whatever infection you may have contracted. Then, speak to an attorney who can help you recoup the cost of your medical treatment. Your attorney will likely also work to have the spa inspected by the health department to make sure what happened to you does not happen to future unsuspecting patrons.
Remember that while not every cosmetic or skin-care product may work for you, there is a big difference between a small allergy to it and a rash that arises from bacteria or mold contamination. When in doubt, always visit your doctor if you notice that your skin doesn't seem right after using a new product or having a spa procedure, and speak to a personal injury attorney if it turns out that you were harmed by the product or spa.
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