A beautician who spent £2,200 on a nightmare laser hair removal treatment says the ordeal "stopped her feeling like a woman".
Sannah Sohail, 31, visited an established clinic in 2018 but left bitterly disappointed with the results which she says left her looking like she had "hormonal issues".
After eight of the costly treatments, Sannah found that not only was her hair "much longer" but that a cyst had developed beneath her skin.
If anything the procedure made the hair thicker, Sannah said, and forced her to stop wearing leggings or tight clothing in case it inflamed the area of skin in question.
Sannah, who lives in Liverpool city centre, told the Liverpool Echo : "I got a cyst, they offered me to see a doctor who confirmed that it was a cyst.
"They told me I'd need to see a private doctor to remove it and promised me to provide it - the cyst removal was never provided."
Sannah also claims she wasn't offered after proper care advice to protect her skin effectively after the treatment.
She was so disappointed by the botched job that she started doing research into laser hair removal.
After investing in a diode machine, which allows practitioners to carry out hair removal, Sannah launched her own private clinic.
The cosmetic practitioner said: "They don't warn you how to look after your skin, just [tell you to use] aloe.
"They don't tell you not to wear leggings or underwear, tight clothing can aggravate it.
"Now I'm scared to wear tight clothes in case it brings the cyst back.
"It stops you from feeling like a female - I'm afraid to get too hot in case it brings it back, I don't wear jeans anymore because of it."
She added: "They deceived me out of £2,200 for eight sessions that made my hair grow thicker.
"You would've thought I had hormonal issues.
"They allow you to think it's your fault, women who come for this treatment are already self-conscious about [their hair growth].
"You worry that you're the problem."
After launching her own clinic, Sannah said she feels more educated on laser treatments and the different approaches required for different skin tones.
She said: "Now that I'm qualified I know that they lied to me. Intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment is a [hair] reduction treatment, not a removal. It's more similar to waxing.
"I have skin type four - they used an IPL laser so I should've been warned that it wouldn't work.
"IPL doesn't cater to skin types four, five and six which are darker shades."