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'They burned me': Auckland woman scarred after facial treatment at beauty clinic

Author
Katie Harris,
Publish Date
Thu, 10 Jul 2025, 7:11am
Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira was burnt after she received a facial treatment. Photo / Supplied
Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira was burnt after she received a facial treatment. Photo / Supplied

'They burned me': Auckland woman scarred after facial treatment at beauty clinic

Author
Katie Harris,
Publish Date
Thu, 10 Jul 2025, 7:11am

A woman has been left with facial burns after a skin treatment at an Auckland beauty clinic went wrong. 

And five months on from Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira鈥檚 February 13 appointment, her face remains scarred. 

The 36-year-old has now complained to the Health and Disability Commissioner, believing the clinic should not have used the device on her skin. 

鈥淭he damage it created mentally was really strong. I don鈥檛 go out much because I feel awful. Even with makeup I still feel awful. I wanted to improve my skin, but it was the worst day of my life.鈥 

The clinic, About Skin, has defended its safety protocols as 鈥渞igorous鈥 and says the situation is 鈥渉ighly unusual鈥. 

Director Jody Burke said the El艒s AC Acne treatment used on Agostinha de Oliveira was specifically designed to be safe and effective on darker skin tones when used correctly. 

On the left, Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira's skin soon after the burns and on the right, after receiving follow-up care from the clinic. Photos / SuppliedOn the left, Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira's skin soon after the burns and on the right, after receiving follow-up care from the clinic. Photos / Supplied 

The device uses light and radio frequency to treat the skin. 

Burke told the Herald the customer had been patch tested for Sublative and El艒s AC Acne treatments in August 2024, though she confirmed the February appointment was Agostinha de Oliveira鈥檚 first El艒s AC Acne treatment. 

Agostinha de Oliveira said she only recalled receiving one patch test. 

Asked about the six-month gap between the patch test and treatment, Burke said seasonal factors could impact the skin鈥檚 response to advanced treatment. 

鈥淔or this reason, our protocol always includes a pre-treatment assessment at every appointment to ensure suitability. In this case, Shirley鈥檚 thorough pre-treatment assessment on the day was deemed appropriate to proceed.鈥 

The appointment 

Agostinha de Oliveira said she was at the clinic to treat black spots on her face. 

鈥淚 trusted the lady because I had been there for a few months already and she said it was fine.鈥 

When she got home, her skin felt burned. 

鈥淢y friend was saying, 鈥楽hirley, are you sure this is all right?鈥 

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 fine. The next day it felt worse.鈥 

Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira's skin in December before the burns. Photo / SuppliedShirley Agostinha de Oliveira's skin in December before the burns. Photo / Supplied 

Agostinha de Oliveira said she returned to the clinic and a worker said it looked like she was having a reaction. 

The next day the burn worsened so she visited an emergency doctor. 

鈥淭he lady [at the emergency room] said this was actually a burn. 

鈥淭hey burned me.鈥 

When she informed the clinic she had been burned, she said staff offered to refund her appointment fee and provided ongoing treatments to reduce the issue. 

Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira now has scars on her face. Photo / Katie HarrisShirley Agostinha de Oliveira now has scars on her face. Photo / Katie Harris 

After the incident Agostinha de Oliveira was too ashamed to return in person to her office and has worked from home since. 

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even turn on the camera [for video meetings]. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel confident going to the office, I don鈥檛 feel confident going out.鈥 

She felt she had lost a year of her life. 

Agostinha de Oliveira has also recently been made redundant. 

The clinic responds 

Burke said the clinic took client concerns seriously and had always acted with the highest commitment to client safety, ethical standards and transparency. 

鈥淔ollowing Shirley鈥檚 experience with us, we鈥檝e provided consistent and compassionate care, taking proactive steps to support her recovery and wellbeing, including regular complimentary treatments, a fully covered skincare regimen, and additional gestures to support her confidence and wellbeing.鈥 

Shirley Agostinha de Oliveira suffered facial burns after receiving a treatment at an Auckland beauty clinic. Photo/ Katie HarrisShirley Agostinha de Oliveira suffered facial burns after receiving a treatment at an Auckland beauty clinic. Photo/ Katie Harris 

Burke said the El艒s AC Acne treatment was specifically designed to be safe and effective with darker skin tones when correct parameters were used. 

The medical aesthetician who treated Agostinha de Oliveira had 15 years鈥 experience, and the team had been responsive and supportive at every step of this process, Burke said. 

鈥淲e remain open to continuing this support should Shirley wish to engage with us collaboratively. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e done all of this with care and good intent, and because we genuinely wanted to help her. I still hope we can see that through.鈥 

As soon as the issue was raised, Burke said the clinic responded promptly with tailored aftercare. 

鈥淲e then implemented a personalised recovery plan, providing complimentary medical-grade skincare, professional makeup support, and a series of free in-clinic treatments to aid her recovery.鈥 

Agostinha de Oliveira continued the sessions until she chose to transition her care to a private dermatologist in late May, Burke said. 

鈥淥nce Shirley informed us that a doctor had diagnosed a first-degree burn, we responded by reimbursing her medical costs and escalating her care to our director, who offered a tailored recovery plan which was commenced immediately and extended support. 

鈥淎bout Skin will reimburse Shirley for the dermatologist鈥檚 consultation fees and any medically necessary treatment related to the burn and pigmentation changes that arose after her February procedure.鈥 

Burke provided a breakdown of all the costs the clinic had reimbursed Agostinha de Oliveira for so far, including about $350 for makeup, $184 for her doctor鈥檚 consultation and medication, as well as $1350 worth of skin treatments. 

The clinic also gave her about $650 worth of products. 

鈥淥ur clinic has never experienced an incident of this nature with any treatment. We uphold rigorous safety protocols. 

鈥淭his situation is highly unusual and we are treating it with the seriousness it deserves.鈥 

Auckland Council is responsible for regulating local beauty salons under the Health and Hygiene Bylaw. 

The council鈥檚 licensing and environmental health manager, Mervyn Chetty, said it had been unable to find any complaints regarding this type of treatment. 

鈥淚t may be that complaints of this nature are reported to ACC rather than council, and are also at times referred to the Health and Disability Commissioner.鈥 

Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020. 

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