PETALING JAYA: A housewife’s quest for glowing, glass-like skin turned into a nightmare after she used budget facial products that caused severe swelling and redness.
She bought the items from a neighbouring country online, and now she is warning others about the hidden dangers of such cheap beauty buys.
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Kamariah (not her real name), 33, said she saw several glowing reviews online about the scrub and face cream, which were supposed to give users a perfect “glass-skin” face.
Glass skin refers to a perfectly smooth and intensely hydrated complexion with an all-over sheen – just like a pane of glass.
“After using it just for a few weeks, my face started to swell badly and I could not even recognise myself,” she said.
Kamariah said her close friends and family members also started to notice the changes in her face and she decided to stop using the products.
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“It also caused me stress. I just wanted to have normal skin and this experience has dented my self-esteem,” she said.
It took Kamariah almost two years and RM2,000 worth of dermatological treatments to get her skin back to normal.
“My dermatologist believed that the product contained mercury, which is not good for skin,” she said.
Another victim, 34-year-old executive Lina Arina Mohd A’fifi, said she suffered long-term side effects from using a skincare product containing harmful chemicals.
“It was the worst, my face turned very ugly and I had to seek expensive treatment to undo the effects.
“It took four years for my skin to heal, and it was only when I was pregnant that my face fully recovered,” she said.
“Friends had recommended the product to me because of reviews saying that it would give me flawless and glowing skin.
“The glowing and whitening effect was temporary.
“After a few months, pimples and redness appeared all over my face and I felt hideous,” she said.
Lina said she had to spend more than RM10,000 on treatments at aesthetic clinics to recover.
“I went to two clinics. The first one did not have any positive effects on my skin, so I moved on to another.
“The recovery process took so long that I just gave up.
“I no longer had money for treatment at a clinic and could only resort to using trusted local products to treat my face,” she said.
Lina encouraged those searching for beauty products to find trusted brands and do their own research.
“Always do your research before buying and be aware of the ingredients.
“Stay away from any beauty products containing mercury or other harmful products,” she said.
