When it comes to beauty these days, there’s so many treatments available that it’s hard to keep track of. Whether it be facials, manicures or pedicures, brows, waxing, laser treatment – the list really is endless.
However, given that so many treatments are widely used nowadays we rarely think to stop about the side effects some of them can have. More often than not, you there will be no side effects whatsoever, but there is always a chance.
This is exactly the case Dubai-based influencer Leena Kaziz found herself in when she went for an LVL lash treatment – it stands for length-volume-lift where the lashes are straightened with a serum to appear more lifted.
It was a treatment Leena had never had before, but what she wasn’t expecting was the severe reaction she was going to have to the treatment, which resulted in her being hospitalised.
After having her LVL treatment done mid last month, Leena began to notice some redness and some slight dryness, but it was when she was trying to go to sleep that she felt a sharp pain in her eyes.
Leena didn’t immediately go to hospital instead, she waited for the salon to open the next day to share pictures with them. She tells that she didn’t think “it was that severe”.
“Later I found out I had a severe infection in my eyes and eyelids as well as a severe allergic reaction,” she reveals. “The allergic reaction increased with time and reached a point where my eyes where fully closed.
“The infection affected my sight even after my eyes were manually opened. My doctor was scared that the infection would reach behind my eyes and closer to my brain.”
Leena made the decision to share her story with her followers on Instagram as a warning to take precautions when undergoing beauty treatments and “to create awareness” for others.
“Everyone needs to know what happened,” she explains. “We really don’t have significant awareness about the risks we are exposing ourselves to. This treatment is so accessible and is available in most salons – a lot could go wrong.”
Even three weeks on, Leena still isn’t fully recovered.
“My eyes and eyes lids are still being irritated from the product,” she says. “I still need a month of medication and my skin is still not back to normal.”
Admittedly, the Syrian native calls this whole ordeal a “life-changing experience” and a “wake up call”.
“We are often too obsessed with becoming prettier and more appealing that we forget to really protect ourselves from our own self,” she says.
“Having said this doesn’t mean that I will stop taking care of my beauty, not at all. But when you are fully aware of how precious your body is you tend to be pickier and more cautious.”
Going forward, Leena believes that a patch test should be mandatory for consumers not just for an LVL treatment, but any treatment.
She believes people need to have the same consciousness when it comes to the beauty industry as any other.
“As consumers we have become very educated and picky with our food industry,” she says. “We read labels, do research and make conscious decisions on the products we consume. I hope that my experience will make as many women as possible become as picky with the beauty industry.”
And on a final note, she’s encouraging everyone to see their body “beyond just the outside”.
“Appreciate yourself and the preciousness of your body,” she says. “Remind yourself of how lucky you are that your body works day and night to make you alive.
“Because when you constantly remind yourself of that you will be more cautious, and you will do more research and make wiser choices.”
