Dundrum Cosmetic Clinic has been directed by a court to pay €46,000 in damages to a woman whose face was injured following a faulty laser procedure carried out four years ago.
Hui Hao, a 41-yr-old graphic designer from Pugin House, Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, Dublin, told the Circuit Civil Court that for half of every year she is unable to leave her home without extensive medical and cosmetic protection and is often forced to remain indoors during sunny weather, reports Breaking News.
“If I go out in bright or sunny days my face would now come out in red blotches all over,” she said in her €60,000 negligence action against Gordosek Limited, which operates in Dundrum Town Centre as Dundrum Cosmetic Clinic, reports Breaking News.
Ms Hao explained to her barrister, Deirdre Byrne, that the most difficult months for her are from March to October, during which she must take extreme care to avoid exposing her skin to the elements, particularly on bright or sunny days.
She said her entire face could break out in red blotches if exposed, reports Breaking News.
Ms Byrne, who appeared alongside Lauren Doyle of HJ Ward Solicitors, told the court that after Ms Hao initiated legal proceedings in May 2023, the clinic failed to engage with the case and judgment had already been secured due to the defendant’s failure to enter an appearance.
Ms Hao, who works in architecture, said she attended Dundrum Cosmetic Clinic in September 2021 seeking an assessment for very mild pigmentation beneath her left eye, reports Breaking News.
She said she was advised the issue could be treated with laser therapy and later returned for the procedure.
“From the moment the doctor applied the laser to my cheek, I was in pain, and I complained about it, but he didn’t stop and continued until the end,” Ms Hao told Judge Maguire, reports Breaking News.
She said she experienced pain overnight and for several days afterwards and consulted her GP, who immediately advised her to stop using an unlabelled cream provided by the clinic to relieve pain and prevent the spread of pigmentation across her cheeks and forehead.
Ms Hao said she struggled to face friends and colleagues but was able to continue working from home and did not seek compensation for loss of earnings, reports Breaking News.
Judge Roderick Maguire said Ms Hao had initially sought treatment for a minor issue under one eye and had been offered two or three laser sessions, though she ultimately underwent just one.
He said she had been advised that pain following the treatment was normal and would subside within a day, but it did not, and when she returned to the clinic she was given unmarked vials of cream, reports Breaking News.
“Pigmentation had broken out around her face and close to her lips, and the cream she was given had no effect,” Judge Maguire said, reports Breaking News.
The judge said Ms Hao had been told there would be no improvement in her appearance and the court had heard evidence that she was unable to go out in the sun between March and October.
He noted she now had to rely on a specific cream that was difficult to obtain, reports Breaking News.
“She has significant pigmentation that was not there before the treatment,” Judge Maguire said. “She has had to change her daily life as regards going out and it has led to significant change for her,” reports Breaking News.
“I fully accept that it will be at its worst during summer, and she has now left with extensive pigmentation all over her face. She has been disfigured after having the treatment,” he added, reports Breaking News.
Judge Maguire, who was shown a collection of photographs taken by Ms Hao documenting her condition, said he was satisfied negligence had occurred and, due to the serious scarring and the ongoing impact of her injuries on daily life, awarded her €46,496 plus costs.
The court was told that Gordosek Limited had failed to respond to the legal proceedings in any way and no legal or other representative appeared on behalf of the company, reports Breaking News.
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