Thanks for the detailed post, I appreciate it seeing as I have no choice but to stay indoors for the whole weekend and hope this will pass. I think I have the right to at least ask for a refund, I might text her that tomorrow. She even knows I post here, so she should realize how important it was to help my skin recover. She said she was so excited that my skin looked good that she wanted to try something more abrasive. Ugh.
I'll check out the database, thanks. Before I found this spa, I had called all estheticians in my area. I went to the top rated one, and ended up getting a nasty reaction from something she used, not sure what. So this spa was my last hope.
The only peel that my skin is fine with is a lactic pumpkin peel...it's low concentration of lactic though.
Glycolic, salycylic and retinol peels are a big no for my face. So yeah, my options were very limited and for some reason this esthetician had found the right combination. And she did the best extractions, all other estheticians were too scared to touch my face. That's why this is a tough decision. But I'm definitely laying off the facials for now.
You can't use glycolic acid, retinol, or salicylic acid? Eek, indeed. Might have something to do with the pH. Do you have rosacea?
If you're curious, here are a few superficial peel options--for much later, of course:
-Mandelic acid. Sometimes used as a "booster" peel prior to stronger ones. Not generally considered effective by itself.
-Citric acid. Usually a "booster" peel. Takes at least 25% to show any effectiveness.
-Lactic acid. Typically used at very high concentrations by itself (70%). Can cause intense stinging.
-Pyruvic acid. Used at 40 to 60%, sometimes even higher. Can also cause intense stinging.
These peels are rarely used, because these peels are so weak and that most people tend to tolerate glycolic acid, TCA, and Jessner's solution well.
Some dermatologists would recommend a long-term topical solution for sensitive skin, like azelaic acid, lactic acid, ammonium lactate, lactobionic acid, or gluconolactone. Azelaic acid, lactic acid, and ammonium lactate are most preferred.
WishClean.... I understand where you're coming from with your esthetician, but I felt terrible for you when I saw your pic. No professional should make your skin look like that, and you should not feel like you may need medical attention when you leave a spa!
And I agree that she should have been much more careful as she used the tool, and then certainly not put anything irritating on top of already wounded and inflamed skin. It just makes me think that she can't be that skilled or knowledgable. I think it's good that you've decided to take a break.
If she has helped your skin overall perhaps you are now at the point where you no longer need spa treatments, and you can take care of your skin at home, using similar products as she has used. Or perhaps you could look into medical spas or derm offices that provide similar treatments, but in more skilled hands. Whatever you do, best of luck to you, and if you do continue to use her I would def ask her not to try anything new on you.
Thanks for the advice to both of you. @ Michelle, I can only tolerate lactic acid at this point, and also aloe vera peels (not sure what the concentration is, but they are very mild and help with balancing the PH). I tried enzyme peels too in the past with lukewarm results. The pumpkin lactic peel was the best so far, but it's the one that burned me during this facial because it was placed on open wounds. It hurts just thinking about it. I feel that at this point, all the work I did to balance my PH has been undone because the acid mantle of my skin has been ruined. It feels scabby and leathery every time I touch it. Some wounds have faded more today, but I'm still annoyed. I asked for a refund and also asked to put my monthly membership at the spa on hold, but I haven't heard back yet. If she doesn't respond by tomorrow I will have to call the spa and tell them what happened because I feel that I at least deserve a refund. If I need to see a dermatologist (hopefully not), I would hope they would pay for the bill but there's no chance they will.
@ KAmanda, I totally agree with you. The pharmacist, my sister & mother, and of course the esthetician, were acting like what happened to my face was no big deal and that it will heal fast. I felt like I was overreacting, so I'm glad you think that my panic was reasonable. I texted the esthetician an angry message today after she texted me to ask if I tried cold compresses and neosporin. If she calls again I will pick up this time because last night I was so mad I couldn't even sleep. And I know stress is bad for my skin, so if I get a breakout after all this I will blame it on her.
The positives to her facials were that a) she did the best extractions ever and b) she had good products. I have been getting facials for over 15 years, and have tried to many places for extractions, and noone compares to her. She also does extra services like LED treatments and pulsed light for free (which obviously this time the "free" service scratched off my skin). The products the spa uses are exclusive to their area. I had to call around to find a spa that uses them because that was what my last esthetician used on my skin before I moved to a new area.
So yeah, I guess I have to make do on my own for now and if I decide to go back I would like to hope she learned her lesson. However, she has used retinol products on me in the past as well as a detox serum after specifically telling her that I react badly to those....it's like she doesn't believe me, and then regrets it after she sees how messed up my skin gets from the wrong products. I know my skin better than her.
Sorry for venting! Hopefully if it heals I can post the photos here in case other people have the same misfortune. It certainly scared me off any type of dermabrasion procedures. I wonder at this point if it would have been better to use the dermaroller, since those type of wounds at least promote new collagen. I don't know if these scratches on my face will do anything positive for my collagen. My mom is convinced that my skin will look better than before once the wounds heal.
@WishClean: Do you mean "PH" as in pH (acidity or basicity) or as in post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)? Just to make sure I know what you mean. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get the problem?
Yeah, it is so frustrating that no one believes you're sensitive to something! Sometimes when I'm talking to my friends I mention that it's possible to be sensitive to retinol or niacinamide and they look at me strangely and don't believe me. It's still possible to be sensitive to retinol concentrations as low as 0.075%, which is an extremely tiny amount and only 3x stronger than the minimal effective concentration! Even the soothing 4% niacinamide still can cause irritation. It's like people think that rare = impossible. I blame the Paula's Choice website.
Irritations and allergic reactions have a funny way of behaving. Sometimes there are cross-reactions to ingredients, and it depends on the concentrations used or whether it's contaminated by something. Other ingredients like propylene glycol can enhance the penetration of irritants. It also depends if you have diseases like eczema. Then these skin reactions can be delayed, and you don't really know what exactly set it off.
You have a good reason to vent! No, you're not overreacting. She should've been super careful, especially because of your skin history. She should've done a patch test on you first before trying something new.
What looks like light, minor scratches can turn into a wide infection, as what happened to my mom. She as a dinner plate-sized scar to prove it. I'm not saying this to make you freak out; I just want you to be vigilant. Please go to a doctor if things don't improve or get worse.
I really hope nothing bad happens to you, and I feel your pain, having a botched treatment myself (admittedly, self-administered).
Thanks! It helps to vent here, I feel calmer already 
I am still waiting for any rebound breakouts...I see tiny pimples under the skin, they look like an allergic reaction. I hope they don't surface. Sometimes I get those and they disappear on their own (like chicken skin/milia I think).
I meant the Ph of my skin. I always type PH out of habit, not sure why lol. My skin was really sensitive and messed up due to many months of severe acne last year and it was reacting to everything. I got allergy testing and discovered that my allergic reactions were triggered by high histamines, so basically anything that raises my histamines (esp. salicylates, benzoic acid and other preservatives in cosmetics) can irritate my skin. So I have to be careful with ingredients, but at least now I know why my acne never responded to topicals like bp and salicylic acid. I agree about the concentration...sometimes if there's minor concentration of retinol, for example, it's fine. As the allergist explained to me, it can depend on my histamine "quota" of the day...if they are too high, any more histamines can cause a reaction. The allergies have been improving though thanks to a low histamine diet and cleansing routine. But now it's like I'm back to square one with sensitivity. Is there a chance I could develop rosacea or permanent hyperpigmentation from this scratches?
You can't get rosacea like a cold, nor can any irritation from a topical or procedure make you get it. It's a genetic condition and likely hereditary. It tends to occur more often in light-skinned people, and usually shows up in one's 30s. One can have early signs of rosacea, such as excessive or constant skin redness and flushing, happening in your 20s.
It is possible developing permanent hyperpigmentation with superficial chemical peels and scratching, but it's rare and occurs more often in darker-skinned people. If you had a botched medium-strength TCA peel, then I'd worry. If your scratches get infected, that increases the possibility.
Having truly severe acne makes it really difficult, if not impossible, to treat it topically. That's actually one of the criteria for severe acne diagnosis. One can have severe acne even if they have hundreds of blackheads and whiteheads!
How the pH relates to the skin is really interesting. Applying very acidic (2.5 pH, if I remember correctly) can make the skin sting. It does depend on the ingredient, too, like lactic acid and urea. pH bounces back pretty soon if you happen to apply something acidic or alkaline. Here's a really interesting paper about it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3175800/
The real skin damage occurs if it's in the dermal papillae or deeper. Having collagen and elastin not form properly or get cross-linked with something bad, for example, can screw up a lot of other things. Sometimes, gene mutations that involve natural moisturizing factors (NMF) causes or aggravates a lot of problems too, like with atopic dermatitis/eczema. Having severe acne can and does damage the collagen and elastin to the dermal level. That's why a lot of aggressive treatments like lasers and chemical peels target the dermal level--because the "foundation" is damaged.
Glad to know your allergies are better! Never had allergies myself, but I have family members who do. They really hate sticking to their diets.
You should probably go to someone who knows how to patch test properly, or really knows how to treat sensitive skin. You might have to get it officially diagnosed (weird, right?) before going on a treatment protocol.
Venting online is one of my favorite therapeutic past times, too. 
Well, I looked at the medical spas in my area, and it's so depressing...all facials cost at least twice as much as what I'm used to paying. And all the add-ons that came with the facials cost extra in other spas and dermatologists' office.
I came across the paper you linked when I was researching ways to balance my skin's ph....I have all the symptoms for candida and I am prone to yeast infections and have had folliculitis before...so maybe that's part of the issue with my skin. I also suffered from adrenal fatigue which affected my immune system, and I'm trying to slowly recover from it. So I know that this all affects my skin...it was never this sensitive. Now all my symptoms are better though, but I did have really bad folliculitis that swelled up my jawline this summer and the same esthetician treated it really well. :/
I'm considering doing a yogurt mask tomorrow night to see if it will help with the redness...my jawline is starting to swell too. Do you think yogurt will sting at this point? The pharmacist told me honey & yogurt masks should be ok, but I only tried honey so far.
I've been looking around for the pH of yogurt, and it's right around 4.5. I wouldn't worry about the pH too much. Stinging normally occurs at <3.5 pH. I don't think there's much lactic acid or any bacteria that would do harm. I'd still be careful, though.
Gah, swelling. It's normal for that to happen, but I'm still concerned. I'd really watch that, since you've had (nodular?) acne and other problems.
Yeah...yogurt stings a bit when I have open wounds,but it can help with swelling esp. if it's cold. Might try to spot treat with it tomorrow. The redness has decreased but I'm worried about breakouts happening as a reaction. I broke out from a glycolic peel last year, and even my forehead broke out from it, which is unusual for me bc my forehead doesn't normally breakout. Right now my forehead is smooth and shiny. The forehead looks good because it's the only place she didn't scrape with those tools...which means that if she had done the same treatment on the rest of my face (minus the spatula & dermafile) the rest of my face would be good too. Ugh.
She offered me free red light treatments again, and agreed to a refund. Should I even bother with the LED? Of course I would like to get as much out of it as possible, that's why I am considering getting those as nothing would touch my skin. They will just have me sit under the LED light for a long time, like I normally do, but I'm not sure how safe it is to do that in the state my skin is in right now. She insists they do it for other clients who have had reactions and it speeds up the healing.
EDIT: Here are photos of the left side of my face (sorry I labeled them wrong, can't tell my right from left today). The worst one is the day of the facial, and the other one I took a few minutes ago with honey on my face. Is there an improvement or not? The texture looks awful. I wanted to remove red marks, not make bigger marks on my face
Ouch! That must be really sore. It looks more red, but that could be the lighting. I see more bumps than the previous pictures. Two of them look like blisters. It's looking a worse to me--still could be my screen's settings, though.
I'm assuming the LED red light therapy she's talking about is 670 nm wavelength. I've been looking for any info on if it works for cuts, but no such luck. I've only found a mice study, and mice aren't people. There's not much information specifically about red light's side effects. I'd think it'd be similar to other forms of LED light therapy, like redness, stinging, burning, and crusting. I'd also think it'd be very setting-dependent. I would not risk using it.
Just something I thought now: Do you get cold sores on your cheeks? They could resurface.
I'd apply some topical antibiotics and keep that area clean and covered.
It looks more red in the photos, but yeah it was quite sore. I don't get cold sores on my cheeks but I get welts sometimes. I had to put a lot of makeup on today for work, and I think I got hives on my jawline...I felt them while I was at work, I think they went down by the time I got home because I couldn't feel bumps anymore. That's an allergic reaction for sure.
Would it be a good idea to go to a dermatologist for a facial treatment or should I just leave it alone now? Last time I got a facial at a dermatologist I ended up with an infection, so I never know how my skin will react.
Considering your skin history I would go to a derm to check out the redness and scratching. He or she could give you a cortisone treatment to reduce the redness or give you a (stronger) antibiotic cream.
I think you should ask about patch testing, if you do go. Your esthetician did give you a detox serum that you had a bad reaction to. Fragrances like Balsam of Peru can cause contact dermatitis. If you're actually allergic to fragrances and/or preservatives, that might be why you can't use glycolic acid products/peels.
Here's a page about some fragrance allergies and possible cross-reactions: http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/fragrance-allergy.html
I don't really trust dermatologists. I used to use antibiotic creams and fucicort and they thinned my skin. I think I might still have some unexpired tubes somewhere, but this summer when my jawline got infected it didn't help. So I would be cautious with them, especially since my skin reacts to a lot of things, and even more in this condition. But if the redness persists, I might need to make an appointment...there's a dermatologist in my doctor's office but she's always trying to get me to try fraxel treatments. I can't go to a doctor without them trying to sell me something, especially in my area which is full of cosmetic doctors and spas. :/ It's very hard to find a good dermatologist here, and the good ones are too expensive. I'll see what my insurance covers because it's pretty basic.
Yeah, contact dermatitis has happened before...right now I'm only using the minimum but I have to wear makeup for work unfortunately.
I think it's a bit better today, but wearing makeup was irritating. From the front, it looks like my skin got burned on the sides. There are some breakouts happening, but the hives are gone.
wishclean, I think it's doing better. It doesn't look inflected to me in the photos you posted today. From the front it doesn't even look like you have scratches, so I'm sure it will heal if you give it time. People post photos after doing laser and dermaroll and they look way worse but heal in time. I know this was not intentional skin wounding though, but maybe it will heal just as those procedures heal.
I had microderm done and I broke out from it, so I think breaking out a little might be normal as long as it's not too much. Keep using aloe to speed up healing.
It does look a lot better now. I hope you're using sunscreen with at least zinc oxide in it. Zinc oxide (and titanium dioxide) is much friendlier for sensitive skin. SPF 30 is a must. The last thing you want is more inflammation and redness while your skin is healing. Still can stress sun protection enough!
Mychelle's sunscreen (IIRC, it's not tinted and not quite SPF 30) comes to mind. EltaMD is pretty good. I'll look around for "sensitive skin" ones with few ingredients.
One thing off the top of my head to avoid is Dermalogica's "UltraCalming" line. I don't trust it, and they throw in oat extracts to make it look more "soothing" than it actually is.
Yeah, Dermalogica is almost as bad as neutrogena. I like some of their products (the vitamin face mask), but all their cleansers and creams have crap ingredients mixed in with only a few good ones. I use Image Cosmetics, the Ormedic line...I head that EltaMD is one that dermatologists recommend but I haven't tried it yet, where can I find it? Haven't heard about Mychelle's sunscreen....is it an online brand?
Well, today the most noticeable scratches have faded but I did get some breakouts and I see some brown spots on the side too. With makeup on, I have small bumps under the skin/ whiteheads...not sure how to get rid of them, they re-appeared after the facial. I'll take more photos this weekend bc I'm in a rush.
You're looking much better!
Both the brands I mentioned are found online. I think you can find a similar physical sunscreen in your local store: Vanicream SPF 50+, which I don't think it's tinted. I know several more sunscreen brands, but I'm looking for the sunscreens that aren't tinted. A lot of people I know hate tinted sunscreens (including myself). So difficult to find a cheap/lower-priced, non-tinted sunscreen.
Thanks! This was with a CC cream on. I just wanted to see if it looks flat without the redness, because the redness made it look worse. Today it's even less inflammed... I hate to say it, but maybe there was a logic to the madness... after my skin was destroyed, it began to regenerate new tissue and collagen. I didn't think it could heal as fast, but also my previous scarring looks a bit better and more plump. I have been taking 1000-1500 of vitamin C split into 2-3 doses throughout the day, as well as antioxidant DIM (for other reasons, but it's helping overall). I think that has helped my skin bounce back so quickly. And aloe & honey topically.
I was considering going to the spa to get the free red light treatments they promised me but if I go I'm sure the esthetician will pretend she know what she was doing all along. Also, I'm worried that if they see my skin now they will think I overreacted because now the scratches are barely visible. I already put my membership on hold, and will see how my skin does on its own for a while.
I would like to go out in the sun tomorrow because I need to get my vitamin D...I was out for 20 minutes yesterday and the day before, maybe it's safe now (with sunscreen)?
Update: The scars are almost gone. Now I can see all my red marks more clearly. I didn't go for the red light treatments...and anyway, if I go in at this point and they see my face they will think I was lying about the severity of the scratches because they are hardly visible now. Anyway, I started the thread to hopefully give others who had this accident happen some hope that their skin will be ok within a week or so. I used aloe and honey topically, and took vitamin C and other antioxidants (DIM) every day. I think my skin has healed fast, and I didn't have to use anything stronger.
Gah, I wanted to reply sooner.
It's good that your scratches are nearly gone. Inflamed scratches and wounds tend to heal quickly, unless they're infected or something.
Did you decide to continue with your spa membership, yet?
BTW, you can still wear sunscreen without getting Vitamin D deficiency. Even sunscreens with high SPF (like, 50+) only block 98%. Also, not everyone applies sunscreen all over the body. So, the sun is still getting through the clothes. Normal clothes only provide SPF of 2.
Gah, I wanted to reply sooner.
It's good that your scratches are nearly gone. Inflamed scratches and wounds tend to heal quickly, unless they're infected or something.
Did you decide to continue with your spa membership, yet?
BTW, you can still wear sunscreen without getting Vitamin D deficiency. Even sunscreens with high SPF (like, 50+) only block 98%. Also, not everyone applies sunscreen all over the body. So, the sun is still getting through the clothes. Normal clothes only provide SPF of 2.
Well, my skin is healed now and it actually looks better than before the facial in terms of texture. Not sure if what helped was this accidental microderm though, because I have upped my dose of DIM and it's doing wonders.
I put my spa membership on hold for now...I would love to get another peel there because I have called around and only 1 other spa carries similar products but the woman who works there didn't seem that inviting and it took her 4 days to get back to me. I read reviews online and they are not good, whereas the spa I used to go to had great reviews (which of course they reward customers with a $10 discount, but still...). I don't think the esthetician wants to give me another facial anw. She hasn't texted me since I got upset with her, and now I feel embarrassed to go back. It's weird that I'm the one who feels embarrassed, not her. If she sees my face now she will say she was right and that what she did ultimately helped me (even though it was an accident and not something I would put up with again). Anyway, I'll see if she texts me next month otherwise I will have to either keep looking or just not risk it. When I found this esthetician, I went to her to fix an allergic reaction/ folliculitis infection that got worse after a facial at a different spa. So with me it's a gamble.
I didn't know clothes offer almost no sun protection. Actually, this past year my vitamin D levels were really low because I was obsessed with using sunscreen all over (SPF 35+)....I might try a lower SPF. Do you know any natural hypoallergic body sunscreens? I usually spend more on face sunscreens but for the body I would like something cheap and easy to find.
Gah, I wanted to reply sooner.
It's good that your scratches are nearly gone. Inflamed scratches and wounds tend to heal quickly, unless they're infected or something.
Did you decide to continue with your spa membership, yet?
BTW, you can still wear sunscreen without getting Vitamin D deficiency. Even sunscreens with high SPF (like, 50+) only block 98%. Also, not everyone applies sunscreen all over the body. So, the sun is still getting through the clothes. Normal clothes only provide SPF of 2.
Well, my skin is healed now and it actually looks better than before the facial in terms of texture. Not sure if what helped was this accidental microderm though, because I have upped my dose of DIM and it's doing wonders.
I put my spa membership on hold for now...I would love to get another peel there because I have called around and only 1 other spa carries similar products but the woman who works there didn't seem that inviting and it took her 4 days to get back to me. I read reviews online and they are not good, whereas the spa I used to go to had great reviews (which of course they reward customers with a $10 discount, but still...). I don't think the esthetician wants to give me another facial anw. She hasn't texted me since I got upset with her, and now I feel embarrassed to go back. It's weird that I'm the one who feels embarrassed, not her. If she sees my face now she will say she was right and that what she did ultimately helped me (even though it was an accident and not something I would put up with again). Anyway, I'll see if she texts me next month otherwise I will have to either keep looking or just not risk it. When I found this esthetician, I went to her to fix an allergic reaction/ folliculitis infection that got worse after a facial at a different spa. So with me it's a gamble.
I didn't know clothes offer almost no sun protection. Actually, this past year my vitamin D levels were really low because I was obsessed with using sunscreen all over (SPF 35+)....I might try a lower SPF. Do you know any natural hypoallergic body sunscreens? I usually spend more on face sunscreens but for the body I would like something cheap and easy to find.
It's difficult finding cheap "body" sunscreens. Most of them are sprays, which are tricky to use because it's easy to not apply how much you need. Using a 6 oz sunscreen daily for your arms, legs, back, chest, and face will last you about 6 days.
Okay, I just found a "natural" body sunscreen with physical protection not in a spray: Sunology Natural Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50. The moringa oil in it doesn't appear to cause contact dermatitis.