Skin Works Medical Spa | Torrance — Attraction in Torrance

Let me start off by saying that I am not new to microdermabrasions, it is something that I used to get very often and my skin has never looked like this afterwards.

I received a brightening facial from Skin Works Medical Spa yesterday that consisted of a Microdermabrasion & very light chemical peel (that was left on my skin for no more than 3 minutes). And when I got home I noticed what looked like scratches on my face, and indents that resemble a light chemical burn. During the application of the chemical peel, the esthetician stated that it would feel stronger than a level 0-1 chemical peel since I just got a microdermabrasion (as expected). As she was applying she asked where I felt the stinging the most and I stated that I felt it most on my forehead and "left cheek." Didn't think anything of it until I saw the scratches on my face and put it all together & said to myself "my skin was broken on the left side, that's why it was so intense in that specific area..." upon communicating with my esthetician on Yelp, she stated that fine lines are normal. I had doubts but as of this moment I am pretty confident that these aren't "fine lines" and that these are scratches.

Very recently, (pre covid) I received a similar service from a popular esthetician and also past nurse, who did a microdermabrasion on my skin and also a chemical peel afterwards. That chemical peel was left on my skin for about 10-15 minutes and I did not have any negative reaction to that treatment, and my skin was left flawless.

I went back on 7/13/20 at esthetician's request, for her to get an in person look at my skin. I came in respectfully and addressed my concerns with her again in person, and let her know that I spoke with two other medical professionals & estheticians and they both said that my skin is not supposed to look like this & that it looks like the esthetician maybe was a bit "heavy handed and used too much pressure" when it came to the microdermabrasion. As far as the random scarring/scabbing on my face, they said that that looks like bruising.

But here's the thing, I get it, mistakes happen - I went in expecting someone to take accountability and own their mistakes but that did not happen. Dr. T came in to take a look at my skin for about 10 seconds and looked me dead in my face to tell me nothing is wrong, in the most nonchalant, callous manner - that's when I lost it. Crying out of frustration because I felt completely disregarded. I immediately told him, "you know what I just want to get a refund & I'll be out of here" -- but that's when things took a turn.

He informed me that a refund is fine, they can do that -- but only if I sign a contract mainly stating that I can't speak about this ever again, leave negative reviews, and come be serviced by them ever again (like I was planning to anyways).

After this interaction, and vocalizing my frustration, the doctor left the room and the esthetician was left trying to console me but at that point I just wanted to leave and get my refund. Another man came in the room and tried to talk with me and we had about a 20 minute conversation only to agree to disagree. He offered a free facial - that I declined because of my trust issues with this medical spa at this point. Claiming that it would be beneficial and help calm the current damage on my face.

Proceed with caution when considering services here. If they pay people to be silent: what incentive might they offer to obtain these 5 star, perfect, stellar reviews? A lot of them may have been well earned but that may not be the case for 100% of the reviews you see (and DON'T) see on here.

Skin Works Spa - I told you I would like to think this contract over, but if it isn't evident by now, you will not "pay" me to be silent. I will speak my truth, which is worth way more than getting my $110 back.

PS -- According to them, this is a "side effect" and that microdermabrasions are noninvasive -- but go to yelp to see the pictures, does this look...

modified some numbers more accurately.

If you’re considering a new facial clinic, I highly recommend avoiding this place. The team doesn’t work well together. They applied a strong numbing cream on my face for 2 hours (which generally shouldn’t be used on sensitive areas for more than 1 hour, usually 15-30 minutes). What was supposed to be a 1.5-hour treatment ended up taking 3.5 hours. They charged me $750 instead of the $350 plan I had reserved, and I was made to wait for another half an hour for a 20% discount for my next visit at reception. The doctor, nurses, and reception staff definitely need to improve their efficiency.

I'm still waiting for my receipt, and after a month, the treatment has not had any medical impact after mid Nov treatment. I would never go back again (classy hair salon's $75 treatment is 10 times better, effective and staffs are sincere); they lack hospitality and effective medical care, integrity, and loyalty. Check reviews carefully.

** Response to the team: I would appreciate it more if you could send me the receipt first instead of focusing on public reputations. I'm not here to destroy your business etc just sharing the facts. If I had been in a bad mood, I could have updated my review that day, but I took some time before responding(1 month +!), and it still doesn’t make sense for me to go back at all unfortunately.

Emilia (the nurse) was sincere about she was distracted by a previous customer who arrived late, and forgot about leaving numb cream on my face for a long time. I hope the whole team, including reception staffs (Francis and Taahsini), can receive better training in hospitality. I never requested any discounts, but Francis(if i remember correctly) tried to offer me one for a future visit while speaking with her manager after my treatment. It didn't / doesn’t make sense to make me wait and only offer a discount for next time. If it is for next time, you could have just emailed me with receipt if you know my driver has been waiting and I was in rush even after disappointing excessive hours experiences. I hope you dnd your team take this very seriously. You nearly ruined my facial skin with too much numbing cream hours, and I cannot accept these unprofessional response either. Thank you and look forward to hearing the update as a team, and please feel free to reach out if you find any further discrepancies in...

Visit was just okay. Everyone was kind and friendly, but a handful of missteps surprised me a bit:

1. I booked a consultation + treatment, and they forgot and tried to rush me straight into treatment. I had to remind them I needed a consultation first, because I have very sensitive skin and was a first-time customer.

2. They didn’t clean my face or ask me if I needed a quick wipe before they started applying numbing cream. Luckily, I came in bare-faced.

3. Their fan didn’t work so I did my laser treatment without any cool air. It was tolerable, but I’m not sure how I feel about their equipment not working, especially since the specialist mentioned it had happened a few times before. Why hasn’t the issue been addressed yet?

4. I have had multiple laser treatments done before at other med spas before I moved to Los Angeles, and have never once left an appointment bleeding. I left this appointment with excessive redness, active bleeding, and by the time I got home, breakouts/pimples all over my face. Obviously, you never can fully predict how the body will react, but when I mentioned that I felt shocked, the esthetician just laughed and left.

All of these are minor details, but they do impact the overall experience. If the treatment is effective, I’m happy to come back, but I also wish I didn’t feel like I have to be prepared to advocate for myself in order to receive the appropriate quality of care and service. I’m hopeful a second visit will go a...