Beauty regime may be deadly
A beauty treatment that uses tiny needles to penetrate the skin has no scientific evidence to prove its effectiveness and could be dangerous, the Consumer Council says.
'It is unwise to risk your life for a prettier appearance,' the council's publicity and community relations member Philip Leung Kwong-hon said yesterday, referring to the 'micro-needle therapy' being promoted by the beauty trade.
The therapy uses fine needles on a roller or stamp that is applied to the skin. Its advocates say it creates multiple tiny wounds or 'micro-channels' that stimulate the production of collagen and improve absorption of skin care serums by the tissues.
But the council says the process can result in skin problems and perhaps even transmit diseases such as HIV if the devices are not cleaned properly.
Leung said the process was backed by no scientific evidence and the devices were not listed as medical equipment.
Since 2007, the council has received 43 complaints about the micro needle treatments including more than 10 that reported adverse skin conditions such as itching, redness, dryness, peeling, pain, rash, worsened acne, pore inflammation and dermatitis.
In one case a woman spent HK$13,600 on 20 such therapies. Her face became swollen after the first treatment, and she was unwell after the second. She was diagnosed with dermatitis and did not recover until a month later. The woman took the case to court after the beauty salon refused to repay her and received HK$9,500 in compensation.
In another case, blisters appeared on a woman's lips after she underwent micro needle treatment for which she had paid HK$3,800. She got part of the money back after the council intervened.
Pressing the needles too hard onto the face would damage skin tissue and cause pain, the council said, leading to redness, pain and inflammation that could last three to 14 days.
Because the needles puncture the skin, sharing the devices among people would increase the risk of infection. HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can be transmitted through shared utensils if they are tainted by blood.
While some salespeople say the devices can be reused if they are disinfected properly by hot water or disinfectants, medics suggest otherwise.
Dermatologist Henry Chan Hin-lee said the utensils should be placed in ovens for 40 minutes. Claims that rinsing them in hot water for 20 seconds can serve the purpose were a 'fairy tale', he said.
Using such a device more than once without fully sterilising it was as dangerous as reusing syringes, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung said.
The rollers and stamps are available on the internet with price tags of several hundred Hong Kong dollars. But the council advised against their use by unskilled individuals.
40
The number of minutes needed to sterilise the devices. There are claims that rinsing them in hot water for 20 seconds does the job.
