We have for some time been investigating a potential claim for a young women in her 20s with a fair complexion who underwent IPL for freckles on her face, including eyelids. Our client suffered quite severe iris damage as a consequence of the treatment. It seems the IPL damaged the pigment in her iris, leading to an asymmetrical appearance.
We have now received our expert’s report. This has confirmed the inappropriateness of such treatment to this area, the danger of the sort of complication our client experienced and the need for titanium (or other effective) eye protectors for any IPL treatment in proximity to the eyes (our client was given paper ‘protectors’).
This case raises concern quite apart from for our poor client who is left permanently disfigured. As with many such cases, the treatment was provided by a beautician, and at present we have no idea as to her training/qualifications (other than suspicions from the way the treatment was performed).
This seems clearly another area of ‘cosmetic’ medicine, crying out for better regulation.